


The Fall

by snarfette



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angels, Battle, Character Death, M/M, Violence, Wings, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 13:17:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2152188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/snarfette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two angels separated at birth have the power to bring about the end of a terrible war. But not everything is as it seems, not everyone can be trusted, and they will have to find each other against all odds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not making any money from the writing of this story. I don’t own any person mentioned. This obviously hasn’t ever happened and obviously never will. 
> 
> This story does not represent my personal religious views or the religious views of anyone mentioned in it. It was just an interesting setting that popped into my mind that I fancied writing a story for. 
> 
> Although I often write AU fics, this particular fic is way out there (even for me!). Plus, I’ve never posted as a long one-shot like this before so I’m kind of nervous about how it will be received. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. 
> 
> One more thing: for the purposes of the story I’ve messed with the ages of some people. And I also wanted to create a world where children grow up at a normal speed until they reach adulthood and then aging slows down - a lot. So Liam and Nick are hundreds of years old but still look like they do now and Louis, Harry, Niall and Zayn have all grown up and reached an age where they’ve stopped aging for quite some time (again, imagine that they look sort of like they do now). Let’s say that the elderly angels mentioned in the story are thousands of years old. I really hope this makes sense!

Heaven and Hell - two concepts that most human beings think they have a fairly good understanding of. They’re probably right about some of the things they believe. They exist.

Heaven is a place of paradise, the souls of good beings spend eternity there. It is the resting place of the souls of good people, and is the home of the perfect archangels who sit beside God.

Hell is there too. The home of fallen angels and those who have become so corrupted that they couldn’t even be described as that anymore. It is also the place where evil humans find themselves when their twisted lives are finally snuffed out.

So Heaven is for the good and Hell is for the bad, but what about all that lies in between? There is an easy distinction for the human souls. They are judged at the moment the physical body ceases to be. If they are good they find themselves floating off to paradise, if they are wicked their punishment will last for eternity. But angels are not so easily separated. That is the first misconception of most human beings. Angels are not all perfect; obviously, seeing as some of them have fallen from God’s good grace. Angels were given the gift of freewill just as humans were, and as such they can choose the path that they follow. There are some perfect angels, those are the ones that dwell with God in paradise. The others live in another realm, outside of the pearly walls and gates of paradise. These angels are not fallen (although they might become that way if that is what they choose) however many are working to earn their place in paradise. Some make it, many never do, but in reality most of them are content to live their lives just on the edge of Heaven. At least there they can still be free to live as they wish.  

And there is the second common misconception of humans. Heaven is not floating on the clouds and Hell is not many miles away underneath the Earth’s surface. It is not really anywhere that could be specified but the one thing that is true, is that they are not all that far apart. Two kingdoms separated by open plains of nothingness. Now, just as there is a realm of angels living just outside paradise, there is also a land just on the edges of Hell where another group of angels live. These angels are fallen, but not yet corrupted enough to belong in Hell.

These two groups are involved in a constant battle. They are all that stands between the walls of Heaven and the walls of Hell. Both groups of angels believe that whichever side can destroy the other will have free access to completely eradicate their opposition. Basically, each group of angels acts as the front line of defence against attack, whilst those in both Heaven and Hell, sit safely behind their walls being protected by those who willingly sacrifice their lives and receive no thanks. That is why most angels never make it into paradise. They cannot possibly be welcomed there when that would leave the defences weakened. That is why some angels defected from God’s side in the first place. They realised what was happening and that they were being used as a barrier and refused to be used in such a way. The sad fact is though, they now fight in just the same way on the other side.

Many years ago a prophecy was written. It said that all the sorrow and destruction of the war between Heaven and Hell would be ended one day. It spoke of two angels with extraordinary wings. They would be powerful warriors. When these angels were united they would bring about the end of the battles. They would bring about the end of Heaven’s enemies. Only few in Heaven or Hell knew of the prophecy but those who did waited for the sign that it had begun.

***

A cloaked figure ran along a darkened corridor. Black hair blended against the charcoal walls and white wings smeared with dirt flexed as the angel continued to run. He was out of breath but his message was too important for him to stop now.

He finally reached a huge wooden door, he banged twice before hearing a deep voice call out that he should enter. Upon opening the door, the man bowed his head, but then spoke immediately, “My Lord, I bring you news of the prophecy.”

The demon sitting on his throne became rigid at the words, “Tell me.”

The angel before him took a deep breath before he spoke, “My Lord, our spies report that the second baby has been born. Two sons born in the citadel with wing markings unlike anything that anyone has ever seen. The beginning of the prophecy has occurred.” The angel looked almost nervous as he waited for the reaction of his master.

There was silence for a moment before the demon lord slammed his huge fist onto the arm of his throne. “You know what to do,” he growled.

“Yes my Lord,” the angel replied before he quickly turned and left the chamber.

***

In the realm just outside Heaven, an angel with wispy white hair entered a peaceful room to check on the newest arrival. Another special baby had been welcomed to their world; another baby with unique markings on his back, symbolising how unusual his wings would be.

The first child born with such markings had been a real concern to them when he had arrived. He had cried and hardly slept, all the nurse maids were beginning to despair, until a few nights ago when a second baby was born and brought to sleep in the room. Since that moment, the older child had seemed so content, and the angel smiled fondly as he thought about the young boy finally being able to sleep peacefully in his bed.

He knew that these children were what they had all been waiting for but it seemed strange to put so much hope into two such tiny, unsuspecting children.

He turned to speak quietly to one of the nurse maids in the room, “Rosa? Where is young Louis?”

The nurse smiled gently at him and replied quietly, “Martha has taken him to clean him up before putting him down for the night. I am sure that she will not be too much longer, she has been gone for quite some time.”

The elderly angel nodded in understanding before smiling gently at the nurse and then at the other baby still fast asleep, then he left the room silently.

***

It was a little later that evening when a desperate knocking disturbed the angel in his study. He quickly opened the door to find the nurse Rosa standing sobbing on the doorstep. “My dear, what in Heaven’s name is the matter?”

The woman wiped at her face then began to speak in a rush, “Oh Brother Thomas, I am terribly worried. Martha has still not returned with young Louis. I have searched the citadel and cannot find any sign of them. They have disappeared!”

The angel, Thomas, could not hide the concern on his face. He ran into the corridor and commanded the first guard he saw to inform everyone to begin searching for the missing pair. The urgency of the task was lost on all but a few of the angels but still they searched. After many hours it became obvious, Martha and Louis were gone.

***

Miles away, a woman carrying a young child was being led down a dimly lit corridor. They stopped outside a door, while her guide knocked and then opened the door, “Liam, our dear friend Martha is here. She has brought the child.”

A brown haired angel approached the woman holding the baby, “Thank you Martha, you will be rewarded for this.”

The woman nodded curtly before she handed the child over to Liam and was led away from the room.

“What are you going to do with it?” a voice spoke from the corner of the room.

Liam looked at the sleeping bundle in his arms, then shrugged slightly, “Put him with all the other children I guess. The maids can care for him. I don’t have the heart to kill him. The master only said to make sure that the two children weren’t ‘united’, and they won’t be if one of them is here. I can’t bring myself to murder a child. Once he’s in with all the others no-one will even know who he is or where he came from. He’ll be nothing special and nothing to worry about.”

***

Several hours later, back in the citadel, the angel Thomas was sitting in the nursery. He watched sadly as the only remaining baby in the room slept soundly, unaware of what was happening around him. The child was blissfully unaware of what his future might hold, how much was dependent upon him and what had been taken from him this evening. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shuffling footsteps approaching the room and a figure appearing in the doorway.

“You wanted to see me?” a nervous voice spoke.

The young angel in the doorway had good reason to be worried. The only times he was ever summoned by the elders was when he had done something wrong, or forgotten to do something. Unfortunately, this was a fairly regular occurrence. He felt like he was always in trouble. He had recently been considering abandoning his home altogether as he felt like he didn’t belong there at all. He had no goals, no responsibilities and nothing to keep his life organised. From the moment he had been summoned from his chambers he had been racking his brain trying to think of what he might have done wrong this time but so far had come up with nothing.   

“Ah, Nicholas yes I did. Please come in,” the older angel welcomed him.

The other angel, with dark hair and dark eyes stepped into the room. He looked at the angel before him and across at the crib holding the baby, obvious confusion on his face.

“Nicholas, we have lost something very precious tonight. I thought we had protected ourselves from such an event but I was foolish to not realise that a threat could be present within our own walls,” the angel sighed deeply before he continued. “We cannot afford to lose anything else so important.” He held out his hand to gesture towards the sleeping baby. The younger angel looked even more perplexed but he didn’t speak. “I have an important task for you. I want you to be the baby’s mentor, his guardian.”

Nicholas’s mouth flapped open and his eyes were wide, “But…I…how…” he trailed off lamely as the older angel smiled gently waiting for him to regain some composure. After a long time, he managed to organise his words into a question, “How can I take care of him? I don’t know anything about babies!”

“The nurses will take care of the practicalities, but you will be responsible for guiding him through his life, helping him to live correctly and preparing him for the future,” Thomas replied.

The younger angel was still struggling to absorb the information. He was convinced that the elderly angel before him had made a terrible mistake and had sent for the wrong person. He was in no way qualified to care for anyone else, let alone a child. He couldn’t keep himself out of trouble so he was sure he wouldn’t be a very good role model. His confusion took over as he blurted out, “Why me? Surely I am not the right one for such a responsibility. I don’t even know why you want me to do this! I don’t understand.”

“There is plenty of time for me to explain everything you need to know. For now all that you need to know is that this child is important for all of our lives. You will understand soon enough. As for the question of why you - it is about time you found your calling in this life Nicholas. You cannot continue to live on with no sense of purpose. This is your purpose now, this is your responsibility.”

Nicholas still looked utterly bewildered.

“Come here,” Thomas beckoned him. The other angel approached him where he was standing beside the crib and peered down at the tiny baby with wide eyes.

“Nicholas, meet Harry. You are his guardian now.”

***

Many Years Later

“You’ll have to do better than that if you actually want to beat me!” a mocking voice called out.

“Shut up Niall! I wouldn’t be so sure of myself if I were you,” another voice replied.

Two adolescent angels were in the middle of a tense contest. They were standing in a bright courtyard throwing small pouches full of paint at a target on the opposite wall. It was only a game but the two were taking it very seriously. The truth was they shouldn’t have been there at all and they certainly shouldn’t have stolen the paint from the artists’ store room, but as long as they didn’t get caught it would be fine. Everyone was far too busy at this time of the day to notice the two youngsters messing around, and they had chosen a perfect spot behind a large statue of Saint Joseph to play their game.

“Come on Haz, just throw the damn thing, miss the target and admit I’m better than you. Then you can spend the next week doing my chores as well as your own,” the blonde haired one laughed.

His friend, curly haired and green eyed, sneered at him, “No way. One, because you aren’t better than me, and two, because there’s no way I’m doing your chores.” He got a sneaky glint in his eye as he stretched his newly formed wings out from their position against his back.

“Oh no, that’s cheating!” Niall shouted in protest.

The curly haired angel just laughed as he lifted slightly off the ground, the pouch of red paint in his hand ready to fling at the target. As he lifted his arm to throw it, his friend rose up behind him and shoved him playfully in the back, he lost his aim and dropped the paint pouch. Both young angels watched with wide eyes as the paint landed, and exploded, all over the head of the statue below.

“Oh crap!” Harry exclaimed, “Look what you did, you idiot!”

Niall was laughing so hard that he actually snorted and was slowly floating back down to the ground holding his stomach with tears pouring down his face, “It wasn’t my fault - _you_ dropped it!”

Harry landed next to him, laughing as he finally saw the full extent of the mess covering the statue, “Come on, let’s go before someone sees this!”

“Harry and Niall!” a stern voice called from across the courtyard, “What have you done now?”

Harry and Niall looked at each other, they were caught. They watched as an elderly angel with white hair approached them.

“I am wondering why the pair of you are not studying. I am also wondering why this statue is so defaced. Yet again it seems the pair of you have been up to no good.”

Both Harry and Niall began trying to explain their way out of trouble at the same time, until the angel held up his hand to silence them, “Enough. I have heard all of your excuses. Inside, now. We will go to see what your guardian has to say about this.”

Harry and Niall shot a sideways glance at each other. This wasn’t going to go down well.

***

“Nicholas, I am afraid I have had to return your wards to you yet again. They seem to have an uncanny ability of getting themselves into mischief. It is the glorious statue of Saint Joseph that had suffered _this_ time. It is now covered in red paint thanks to their exploits,” the elderly angel said as he stood looking between Nicholas and the two young angels now standing in their guardian’s office. They both had their heads down and looked suitably ashamed.

Nicholas looked less than impressed, “I am so disappointed in both of you,” he reprimanded. “You will have to spend your free time over the next few days cleaning the statue.”

Both boys nodded; their heads still down.

“Nicholas, this is not the first time that these two have been in trouble. You really must keep them under better control. They are _your_ responsibility. If their reckless behaviour continues you know what will happen,” the other angel said sternly. He looked at the two youngsters disapprovingly again, then looked at Nicholas with the same look on his face, before he turned and left the office.

The moment the door closed behind him, Nicholas sighed in relief, “You two are going to send me to an early grave.”

Both youngsters looked up and smiled cheekily at him.

“ _Early_? You’re already hundreds of years old, how can it be _early_?” Harry joked.

“Not as old as ‘General Responsibility’ out there. ‘ _Their reckless behaviour blah, blah, blah’_ ” Niall mocked.  

“You may joke about it, but this is serious. You really do have to stop getting into so much bother. Or at least get better at not getting caught,” Nicholas replied, “I get into as much trouble as you two in case you hadn’t noticed.”

As Harry and Niall looked at Nicholas even they could tell he really was feeling the pressures of taking care of them. They really did get into quite a lot of trouble. Their reputation was not good amongst the more senior angels. Their guardian was visibly tired of their antics; his shoulders sagged and his face looked concerned. They knew that they really did have to stop getting into trouble.

“We’re sorry Nick,” Harry told him. “We’ll try much harder to control ourselves.”

It was amazing the change that came over the older angel as soon as he heard the use of the affectionate shortened version of his name the two had decided upon. He immediately looked more relaxed. He couldn’t stay mad at the two youngsters. Maybe that was where he was going wrong. They brought such happiness to his life, except when they were getting into trouble and causing him to be lectured by the elders in the citadel. But even then he couldn’t be angry with them for too long. He had been their guardian since they were babies.

After Harry had been entrusted to him, he had found himself with another child to care for when Niall was orphaned and had no-one else to care for him. These two children had brought him the sense of purpose he had always lacked. He didn’t think he was necessarily very good at guiding them along the right path but he was doing his best and he couldn’t imagine his life without them. Likewise the two boys looked up to him and respected him more than any other angel in the whole realm. They really didn’t want to cause him any concern but sometimes it was just too much fun to wind up all the more stuffy angels living in the place.

“I find it very hard to believe that you two could manage to keep out of mischief for any great period of time,” Nick told them with a weary smile. “Get along to your room now and at least stay out of trouble for the rest of the day.”

Harry and Niall smiled at him brightly before turning to leave the room. Harry paused in the doorway, “I promise we’ll try harder, and anyway, we’ll be so busy when we start training soon that we’ll have no time for getting into trouble.”

Nick smiled weakly as Harry turned and followed Niall down the corridor.

Nick slumped back into his chair. Training – that was something else for him to worry about. He knew that both Harry and Niall were desperate to begin training for joining the army of angels that fought against their enemies. He knew that Harry was destined to be a great warrior; he had learnt that much from Brother Thomas when he had told him about the prophecy. It didn’t help to ease his worries though. The thought of the two going out to fight in such vicious battles filled him with fear.

He was also concerned about the prophecy that he had learnt about all those years ago. Harry was completely unaware of what had been written about him. Nick had been bound to secrecy and he knew what breaking that bond would cause, but he longed to tell Harry the truth about what had happened when he was only a baby. He felt that Harry should be aware that he would be a prime target for his enemies if they ever realised who he was. There was too much for him to think about at the moment and he sighed in frustration as he ran his hands through his hair. He just hoped that at some time in the future he would be able to explain to Harry everything that he deserved to know before it was too late.

***

Not so far away, in another realm of angels, two young angels of a similar age to Harry and Niall were sneaking along a dimly lit corridor towards a large wooden door. They were constantly checking all around them, knowing that they couldn’t afford to get caught. As they reached the door, the first young angel lifted the hook to open it and pushed it open slowly.

Both sets of eyes lit up at the room filled with shelves covering every wall, holding every kind of weapon they could imagine. The two angels slipped into the room and pushed the door almost completely closed behind them.

“Right, you stay here and keep watch down the hall, I’m going to find my knife,” the older of the two commanded.

“You better be quick Louis,” the other replied as he peered around the edge of the door.

Louis began scanning along each of the shelves, knowing exactly what he was looking for. As he looked up he saw what had to be the handle of his knife at the edge of one of the top shelves. He unfurled his wings and stretched them before pushing off from the ground and floating up to reach the weapon. He smiled triumphantly as he wrapped his hand around the handle of the blade and lifted it off the shelf.

His friend turned back to look at him as he approached him.

“Got it! That was so easy,” he smiled proudly.

“Good, now let’s go before we get caught in here,” his friend said quickly.

“Don’t be so worried Zayn. We won’t get caught.”

The other angel huffed, “You always say that, and we nearly always _do_ get caught. This would be one of the worst things – stealing from the weapons store.”

“Well they shouldn’t have taken it off me in the first place, if they didn’t want me to have to steal it back,” Louis replied as he leaned past his friend to peer out into the corridor.

“Yeah well what worries me is what they’ll do this time if they catch us, especially you. You know what they said last time, they might send you away,” Zayn reminded him.

Louis laughed quietly, “They can’t do that. Where are they going to send me? Enough talking about stupid stuff that isn’t going to happen. Let’s just get out of here.”

They should have seen it coming really. Zayn was right, they nearly always got caught and this time was no different. As soon as they stepped out into the corridor an angry looking angel appeared before them.

“Louis and Zayn. What a surprise,” he said sarcastically. “I really do wonder why you ever think you are going to get away with these plans of yours. Stealing weapons? It gets better every time. You had better come with me to see the Master.”

Zayn glanced at his friend with a look as if to say, ‘ _I told you this would happen’_ , but Louis was far to busy scowling at the back of the angel that now walked them towards the Master’s chambers.

***

Several hours later, Louis and Zayn were lying on uncomfortable beds staring at the ceiling of the cells they now occupied. At least they were next door to each other this time so they could still talk.

“Why did you say it was your idea Zee?” Louis questioned him through the bars.

Zayn shrugged, “I thought it might get you out of trouble and stop them sending you away. You could have got away with it too, if you hadn’t started arguing with me!”

“I wasn’t about to let you take all the blame for it. Anyway, I’ve told you, they won’t send me away, so stop worrying about it,” his friend replied.

“Yeah, well I guess a night in the cells isn’t so bad if you’ve got company. But you can’t know that they won’t kick you out. They sent Michael away for a lot less than what you’ve done,” Zayn said thoughtfully.

“Which is exactly why I know they _won’t_ kick me out. They would have done it by now if they were going to. I don’t know why they let me stay but I’m not complaining,” Louis told him.

Zayn sighed thoughtfully, “I guess you’re right. I don’t think _I’ll_ ever understand what they see in you.”

Louis threw his cup of water at the bars separating their cells. “Piss off! I should have _let_ you take all the blame for this,” he laughed.

“I’ve made a decision anyway Lou. This is the last time I’m getting into trouble with you. I’m turning over a new leaf tomorrow.”

“Whatever Zayn, we’ll be back in these cells in a few days. I don’t know why they don’t just put us a name plate outside each one.”

Zayn laughed before turning serious again, “We’ll be too busy for all this messing around soon anyway. You know we’re starting training soon. They’ll be glad to have us occupied and out of trouble. They won’t be locking you up then. They’ll want you ready to go to battle as soon as possible.”

“They’ll want _us_ to go to battle. I can’t go without you. Who will be my look-out if you’re not there?” Louis joked.

It was easy to be light-hearted about going to war at the moment, it seemed such a long way off, but both boys knew that in reality they would be members of the angel army before they realised.

Louis knew that it was his purpose in life to be involved in the fighting. He knew nothing of his past or where he came from, but he knew that his future involved the war between heaven and hell – he could just sense it.

***

_Louis was surrounded by all the signs of battle. All of his senses were flooded with it; the choking, acrid stench of burning and blood-shed, the bodies and fallen weapons of his enemies and comrades alike, even the taste of sweat as he licked his lips._

_He was searching for Zayn. He had lost sight of his friend during the conflict and now he was anxious to find him again. His ears were ringing with the sounds of clashing metal and screams from the fight even though it was over and both sides were falling back to their bases._

_As his eyes scanned the carnage, suddenly everything around him seemed to freeze, his senses seemed to stall. Frighteningly abrupt silence took over in his mind and he felt like he was being drawn in a certain direction. He spun around wildly trying to find the source of this bizarre occurrence and his eyes landed on an angel in the distance. He couldn’t see the angel’s face; all he could make out was the silhouette and the most unusual wings he had ever seen on an angel in his life._

_They were not the typical white or black wings that most angels had; instead they were an ivory colour, but that wasn’t the most intriguing thing about them. They seemed as though they were glistening in the moonlight from above and the flames that flickered on the ground – they seemed to be almost shimmering, iridescent in the light. Louis was amazed by it. The only other angel he knew that had such unusual wings was himself. His own wings were black but had a gleaming, glittering appearance that almost made them look like they were made of oil. Those that knew him had often commented about how rare his wings were and he knew that the higher ranking angels were deeply puzzled by it._

_Now he was fascinated by seeing an angel before him that also had incredibly unusual wings. It wasn’t only that which drew him towards the stranger though. He couldn’t resist as he began walking towards him, the urge to get closer was far too strong._

_As he approached, the other angel started to walk away in the opposite direction – it was as though he didn’t even realise that Louis was there. Louis began to move more quickly as he tried to catch up, but he didn’t seem to be making any progress._

_The mysterious angel opened his glorious, shimmering wings and lifted away from the ground. Louis was running, desperate to reach him before he got away but as he tried to lift into the air to pursue him, his wings seemed to fail him and he stayed rooted to the ground._

_The stranger was getting further and further away as Louis continued trying to catch him as he ran along. Louis could feel almost physical pain pulling at him as he watched the angel begin to disappear._

_He fell to his knees and screamed at the dark sky, “Harry!”_

“Louis? Louis, wake up!”

When Louis opened his eyes the first thing he realised was that he was no longer in his bed. Instead he was tangled in his sheets on the cold floor of his bedroom. The second thing he noticed was the worried face of his best friend hovering above him, shaking him and calling his name.

“Louis, can you hear me? Say something! Are you alright?” Zayn continued to question him.

Louis groaned in response, then managed to speak, “I’m fine – I think.” He sat up from his position, rubbing his face in confusion.

“You think?” Zayn asked suspiciously. “What was that all about?”

“What?” replied Louis, who still looked utterly bemused.

Zayn huffed as he stood up and looked down at Louis, “ _What?_ What do you mean ‘ _what’_? I’m woken up by you tossing and turning, then you suddenly start crying out like someone’s ripping your heart out and you say ‘ _what’_! I’ve lived with your nightmares for as long as you have, but that one was way out there, even for you.”

Louis looked up at him from his place on the floor, “Sorry Zee. I didn’t mean to wake you again. You’re right though, this one was different. I hardly even know what to think about it myself.”

He began to push himself off the floor as he spoke. He didn’t really feel like talking about it, the dream had unsettled him and he couldn’t explain it to himself, let alone anyone else.

“Well how about you start by telling me who Harry is,” Zayn suggested.

Louis had been standing facing his bed trying to rearrange the sheets when he heard Zayn mention the name from his dream. He spun round to face his friend, a look of shock covering his face. His mouth opened a few times but no words came out.

Zayn decided to help him out, “You were calling his name. Actually ‘calling’ isn’t quite the right word, more like screaming. So who is he?”

Louis sighed deeply in frustration, “I don’t know! He was in my dream though. I never saw his face but I was trying to get closer to him for some reason. I felt desperate to be near him.”

“We don’t know anyone called Harry,” Zayn replied. “Maybe it’s someone that you haven’t met yet but you will in the future.”

“Maybe,” Louis didn’t sound convinced. “It’s just that…well this will sound weird, but I felt like I already knew him.”

He looked at his friend to gauge his reaction. He should have known that Zayn wouldn’t give much away. Zayn had been his best friend forever and knew all about his weird nightmares and never passed judgement.

Zayn just smiled thoughtfully at Louis, “Well I can’t really help you with that then. Maybe it’s someone you knew when you were little and you’re remembering him now for some reason. I don’t know Lou, I wish I could help you, but for now we have to get to our briefing because Liam will be seriously pissed off if we turn up late again.”

Louis suddenly felt much more focused when he heard Zayn’s words. He rushed about getting ready, but the images from his dream weren’t far from his thoughts as they left their room.

***

Liam was droning on about some attack formations and battle strategies. Louis’ mind was far away, trying to remember as much about his dream as possible. He was growing more frustrated by the minute that he couldn’t picture the stranger’s face. He felt like he should know more but it was just on the edge of his grasp and his fingers couldn’t stretch far enough to touch it. All he remembered was the most startling wings he had ever seen and the name ‘Harry’.

Zayn was right, they didn’t know anyone by that name, but Louis couldn’t shake the feeling that he actually _did_.

“Wouldn’t you agree Louis?”

Louis heard the use of his name and flinched. He sat more upright in his seat. It was obvious that he didn’t have a clue what the question was referring to and he wasn’t going to pretend that he did.

“Sorry Liam, my mind was elsewhere,” he answered honestly.

The superior angel looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before reprimanding him. “Well maybe you could do us the honour of bringing your mind back to our plans.”

Louis nodded once and made a real effort to concentrate on what was going on around him.

As the meeting ended and the angel soldiers filed out of the chamber, Louis heard his name called again. “Louis, if you could stay behind please.”

He looked at Zayn and rolled his eyes before turning back towards where Liam was standing waiting.

When the large door finally closed behind the last angel, Liam leant against his desk, “What’s going on Louis?”

Louis looked at the other angel questioningly, although he knew that Liam could read him perfectly well.

“Don’t bother wasting your breath telling me it’s nothing and you’re fine. I’ve never seen you so distant before. Come on Lou, I’ve looked out for you since you were a little kid, you know you can trust me.”

Louis sighed, “I had a weird dream last night and it’s just…bothering me.”

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

Louis looked at him steadily. He knew that Liam had been there for him nearly as much as Zayn had, he could trust him.

“I was in a battle. Actually the battle was over, but I saw another angel, someone I didn’t recognise, but that’s the weird part…I felt like I knew him. I tried to catch up with him but he flew away and left me behind. I woke up screaming his name. What do you think it means?”

Liam took a little while to answer, he licked his lips before he spoke, “I don’t know Louis. Maybe it’s someone you’re going to meet soon.”

“But why did I feel like I already knew him then? That’s what I don’t understand,” Louis was pacing back and forth in his frustration.

“I wish I could help you more Louis, but I’m sorry I can’t. Maybe you should just try to forget about it. I wouldn’t read too much into a dream,” Liam told him.

“It might help if I knew more about where I came from,” Louis suggested. “Isn’t there anything else you can tell me?”

“I’m sorry Louis, there’s nothing else. I’ve already told you – you were left here by a woman that disappeared as quickly as she arrived. That’s all we know.”

“Maybe I should go to see the Master and ask if he knows what it might mean,” Louis wondered out loud.

“No!” Liam shouted immediately.

Louis looked at him in surprise.

Liam continued quickly, “The Master does not take too kindly to being bothered with our ‘trivial’ problems. Please Louis, just try your best to forget about it.”

Louis thought for a moment, before nodding in defeat, “Maybe you’re right. Thanks for listening to me Li. I’ll try to pay more attention in the next briefing.”

“Don’t worry Louis, I just don’t want you to waste your time trying to understand a dream that probably meant nothing. I’ll see you later.”

Louis turned and walked towards the door. No matter what Liam said, he wasn’t going to be able to forget the dream and he didn’t want to either. He felt like the answers were close and he just hoped that he would be able to reach them one day.

Liam sighed in relief when Louis left the room. He could hardly believe how close Louis was getting to realising the truth. His dreams had always caused concern but this was really dangerous.

He cared a great deal for Louis and had watched over him since the day he had arrived in the realm. He knew that if Louis went to the Master and started asking questions, the Master would probably kill him to rid himself of a potential problem. Liam had been severely punished when it was discovered that he had allowed the baby Louis to live. He was amazed that Louis wasn’t killed then, but he had promised to ensure that Louis would not cause any problems and had persuaded the Master that it was a twisted, perfect irony if Louis grew up to be one of their best warriors fighting against the ones he was meant to have saved.

Liam couldn’t allow Louis to realise the truth. He felt bad for Louis. He knew it must be awful to know nothing about who you really were. He also knew how terrible it must feel to be separated from the one you were meant to be with, although Louis wasn’t even aware of that. He didn’t want to lie to Louis, but it was too late now, he honestly couldn’t see any other way.

***

“Now, I want you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Nick lectured as he watched Harry and Niall gather up the few belongings they needed to take with them.

Both of the younger angels looked at their guardian fondly. He sounded more like a worried mother than their mentor.

Harry walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll be absolutely fine. We’ve done this so many times before. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about anyway; we’re just being sent out to patrol in case they decide to _actually_ attack this time.”

“They won’t,” Niall chimed in confidently. “Not with us there waiting for them.”

Nick looked between the two angels before him and wrinkled his nose at the sight of them standing holding their armour and weapons so casually. He despised it every time he watched them go out to the plains to fight. He couldn’t relax until they returned safely, but he knew that his two wards thought he was just being over-protective. Maybe he was; he knew they could take care of themselves but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

He sighed in defeat, there was no point saying anything else to remind them about keeping safe, “I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

Harry and Niall smiled at him, they looked so at ease that no-one would have guessed that they were heading out to a potentially dangerous situation.

Nick watched as they disappeared down the corridor and out of sight. Part of him wished that he could go with them, but the other part knew that was a ridiculous idea. Angels were meant to be warriors or scholars and Nick was most definitely not a warrior. He wasn’t sure that he was a scholar either, but he supposed that he fitted that category more easily. He pulled the door of Harry and Niall’s room closed and set off along the corridor, trying not to think about all the terrible battles that had raged in the past.

Harry and Niall arrived at their meeting point along with twenty or so other angels, and helped each other to prepare, fastening each other’s armour and discussing strategies until a higher ranking angel appeared before them.

“Now, today’s mission is to deter any attempted attack against the city. Our visible presence should be enough to discourage them but if they do decide to charge us, we’ll take defensive positions. Under no circumstances will you break ranks to attack them first. Keep your eyes and ears open and alert. Any questions?”

A murmuring of understanding passed through the assembled troops before they began marching towards the huge gates at the wall of the city.

A little later the angels were patrolling the perimeter of the city that faced enemy territory. There was movement in the distance but nothing to suggest an outright attack.

Harry and Niall were a little bored. This was stuff that the new recruits usually had to deal with, but they had been instructed to be present to ensure that there were at least some highly trained and skilled members of the group.

“Look at the new guys,” Niall said as he nudged Harry. “Don’t they look so keen and raring for a fight. They probably think this is great fun.”

Harry’s eyes looked down the line of enthusiastic, if slightly nervy, looking soldiers. “Just wait ‘til they’ve done this every day for a month and then we’ll see if they still look so keen.”

“Not getting jaded already are we?” Niall asked with a slightly teasing tone.

Harry blew the hair from his face before he replied, “Don’t you sometimes wonder what the point of all this is? I mean, standing here just so they don’t attack is kind of a waste of time. I say, let them attack if they’re going to and then we can beat them and it’ll all be over. This war will never end if we’re going to be stuck in this stalemate forever. I for one am going to go mad if I have to stand around like this for the rest of my life.”

Niall laughed lightly at his friend, “So impatient as always. You’ll regret saying that when the fighting really gets started.”

Harry turned to face him with his eyebrow raised, “And just when are we expecting that?”             

It was as though someone had been listening in on the conversation, because as soon as the question fell from Harry’s lips, a loud whistling sound filled the air.

Harry and Niall knew what it was instinctively and threw themselves to the ground, shouting for the younger soldiers to do the same.

Within seconds a huge fireball landed nearby, followed by another a moment later.

“Defensive positions!” Their senior officer was yelling at them to get off the ground and form rank. As they lined up and began to propel their own fireballs back towards their enemies, Niall looked at Harry with an ‘ _I told you so’_ type of look.

Another fireball landed behind them, crashing into the city wall with a deafening thump and knocking half of the angels over with the force.

As Harry looked up he scanned the group of enemy angels in the distance. His eyes landed on a figure that seemed to stand out strikingly even from so far away. Harry couldn’t make out any details of the angel; all he knew was that he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He was transfixed as he continued to stare.

“Harry! Harry, move now!” Niall was screaming for his friend, but Harry couldn’t move, he was rooted to the spot. He was completely unaware of the ball of fire hurtling through the sky towards him.

Suddenly, all the air was forced out of his body and he was lying on the ground with Niall above him.

“What are you doing? Do you want to get killed, you idiot?” Niall was shouting at him angrily, but Harry was desperate to see the angel again. He pushed Niall away from him and unsteadily got to his feet. When he looked back across the plain the angel was gone - they were all gone.

The attack had just been a warning shot, a reminder that their enemies were still lying in wait for the time when they were least prepared.

The roaring noise in Harry’s head was overwhelming as he stared into the distance. His chest felt like it was being pulled somehow and he couldn’t explain it. He blinked rapidly several times as black spots appeared before his eyes. Then there was darkness.

***

When Harry opened his eyes it took a moment for him to recall what had happened. It came rushing back to him in a flood and he suddenly remembered the angel in the distance that had captivated every part of him. He immediately sat upright hoping to look across the plain and see the same silhouette standing there. He regretted it instantly as his head spun sickeningly and he suddenly realised that he was no longer outside anyway; he was back in his own room, lying on his bed.

“Oh no you don’t. Lie back down right now!” Nick’s voice ordered from beside him.

Harry did as he was told, lying back much more slowly than he had originally sat up. His head was absolutely pounding and his chest hurt inexplicably. Even with the thumping that filled his head, his mind was still racing with what had happened.

He glanced over to Nick who was standing looking over him with a concerned expression, “What happened? How did I get back here?”

“You completely froze, is what happened,” he suddenly heard Niall speak from across the room. He hadn’t even realised that his friend was there. “I thought you were done for. You just stood there staring into space.”

Harry could tell that Niall was annoyed with him, probably because he was worried more than anything, “I’m sorry Ni.”

“I’m not interested in ‘sorry’, I want to know what happened out there. What was going through your head?”

Nick interrupted before Harry could respond, “There’s no point being angry about it and going through it now, it’s over. I’m just thankful that you’re both safe. Harry you should get some rest. We’ll talk about it in the morning when you’re feeling more up to it.”

Niall and Harry knew that meant that the discussion was over; Nick could be pretty decisive when he wanted to be. Harry was relieved for the reprieve; it meant that he could try to get his own head straight before he had to talk to anyone else about it.

Niall walked away from near Harry’s bed to stand near the door.

Nick looked at Harry once more, “He’ll be alright, he was just so worried about you when he brought you back. Get some sleep, we’ll talk in the morning.”

Nick smiled fondly, before he joined Niall at the door. They spoke in whispers but Harry could still hear them.

“Don’t be too hard on him,” Nick said quietly.

“He could have been killed. He was so close to being gone. I’ve never seen him like that before. Harry’s a pro, he knows his stuff, but he just stood there. It was like he was frozen in place. Something was wrong with him,” Niall sounded almost desperate as he explained.

Nick placed a reassuring hand on Niall’s arm, “We’ll try to figure it out when we’ve all had some sleep. It’s been a long day. He’s safe now, you both are, and I’m just grateful for that. Try not to worry too much Niall.”

Niall smiled weakly at his guardian, then nodded slowly in acceptance. He opened the door and both angels stepped out into the corridor leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

As he lay there in the dark, Harry tried to slow down his racing thoughts. All that he could remember was an angel in the distance, standing out so prominently that it was all that Harry could see. All of his senses had seemed dulled as he had watched. He had felt like his whole being had been taken over by the sight before him. In that moment all he wanted was to stare at that figure forever. The only thing that would have been better would have actually being closer to the mysterious angel.

But, what did it mean? And who was this stranger that had captivated him so completely even from such a distance? All he knew was that the ache in his chest and the confusion in his mind were screaming at him to find out more.

***

When Harry woke up the following morning, he was surprised to realise that he had slept soundly. He was actually a little disappointed. He had hoped to relive what had happened with the image of the mysterious angel in his dreams. In reality, he couldn’t remember dreaming at all. There were no fantasies of strange silhouettes taking over his whole being; nothing except the memory of what had happened the day before, exactly the same as it had been when he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

As he lay there contemplating the incident and wondering why he felt so deflated about not having a dream, he realised that Niall was shuffling around quietly on the other side of the room. He adjusted his position in bed so that he could sit up to see his friend.

“Hey,” Harry spoke quietly, knowing that Niall was more than likely to still be mad at him about the previous day’s events.

Niall looked over at him, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” Harry replied simply, then hesitated before continuing. “Look Ni, I’m sorry about yesterday. I know that probably doesn’t help but I really am.”

Niall stared at his friend for a moment, “It’s alright. I shouldn’t have reacted so badly. It’s just that…well, you frightened me. I really thought that…well I don’t suppose it matters now. Nick’s right; it’s over, you’re alright now.” Niall continued to look at Harry when he finished talking, it was obvious he had more to say.

“You want to know what happened, don’t you?”

“Well, it might be nice to actually understand what happened,” Niall replied.

Harry almost laughed at that. _He_ didn’t even understand what had happened so he wasn’t sure that he was going to be able to explain it to anyone else. He knew he could trust Niall, but that didn’t stop him thinking it was going to sound ridiculous when he tried to explain.

Before he had chance to speak, a knock on the door interrupted them and Nick walked in.

“Don’t bother waiting to be told it’s alright to come in, will you?” Niall joked while rolling his eyes.

“I knew you were awake, I could hear you talking,” Nick replied bluntly.

Harry smiled to himself, even when such strange things were happening he could rely on Niall to wind their mentor up.

“How are you feeling this morning Harry? How did you sleep?” Nick asked, bringing Harry back to the reality of what was going on.

“I feel alright, I slept perfectly,” Harry admitted, still feeling slightly annoyed by that fact.

“That’s good,” Nick said, obviously trying to think of what to say next. “I was wondering…well do you think…could you tell us exactly what happened yesterday?” he finally managed to ask.

Harry sighed before he began to speak. “This is going to sound crazy, but please just listen. Niall and I were talking, it was stupid really, we were talking about when the real fighting might start and then all of a sudden we were being attacked with fireballs. I looked across to see how many we were up against and then I saw someone - an angel. I couldn’t make out any details, but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away.”

Even just describing the situation, Harry seemed to get a glazed over look in his eyes, and Nick had to prompt him to continue.

Harry shook his head and then continued, “It was like everything else around me was dull. All I could focus on was this angel. Then suddenly Niall had knocked me to the floor. I still wanted to see the other angel so I stood up but they were all gone. My head hurt…and my chest. I don’t remember anything else.”

Niall and Nick looked at Harry and then at each other. They were clearly confused, but in addition Harry was sure he saw something else in Nick’s eyes.

“Maybe it was some sort of trick they’ve discovered. You know, to confuse us somehow,” Niall suggested.

“Why did it only work on me then?” Harry dismissed the idea. “Besides it felt like more than that.”

Nick was staring at Harry in silence now. He was chewing his bottom lip nervously.

“What do you think it could be Nick?” Harry interrupted his guardian’s thoughts.

Nick seemed to be startled out of whatever he was thinking about because he looked at Harry rather oddly for a moment before he spoke. “I really don’t know what it could be. I’ll have to speak to the elders to see if they can shed any light on it. This sort of thing may have happened in the past. Until I’ve spoken with them I’m afraid I can’t explain it.”

Harry looked at his guardian trying to figure out why he looked so uncomfortable, until Niall piped up with another question, “Well what if this happens again? Harry’s going to be in danger every time he goes out there if he’s just going to stand there like some sort of idiot.”

Harry raised his eyebrows as he looked at Niall in mock disgust. He knew that his friend must have forgiven him if he was back to making fun of him.

Nick actually looked even more nervous, if that was possible. “Actually I do have something to tell you about that. Your senior officers were obviously aware of what happened yesterday and they have decided that you are not to go out into battle again until they have found out more about what happened.”

“What?” Harry erupted in outrage, “That’s ridiculous! What am I supposed to do? Just sit around here waiting for someone to tell me what’s going on? No way.”

Nick tried his best to calm the temper of his ward, “It won’t be for long. As soon as the elders have got to the bottom of it you’ll be able to go back out. I know it’s not what you want but there’s nothing to be done about it. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll go and see them,” Harry was ranting and jabbing his finger in the direction of the door. “They can’t expect me to just do nothing. I need to be out there.”

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Harry sharply turned his eyes towards his best friend, who was now a traitor. “If something like that happened again, I might not be able to help you. You won’t be missing much anyway, just a lot of standing around doing nothing. You said it yourself yesterday, nothing much happens. You should be thankful to get some free time. Just be patient and then you can come back out with us.”  

Harry looked between Nick and Niall and knew he had no choice. He had to accept defeat this time and, for once, do as he was told.

“Fine,” he said petulantly, “But those old guys better come up with something interesting fast so I can get back where I belong.”

Both of the other angels seemed to sigh in relief. They decided that it was probably better not to say anything else regarding the subject and left Harry with his thoughts. In truth, Harry was disappointed to not be able to go out with the other soldiers. It was what his whole life seemed to revolve around. He was also annoyed that anyone else was telling him what he could and couldn’t do. But more than that, he felt completely frustrated that he couldn’t go back out and maybe catch sight of the mysterious angel again. He knew it was dangerous, especially if it had the same affect, but he was desperate to see the angel again; to experience the feeling of completion he had felt when he had gazed across the plain towards that mystifying figure.

***

Nick was standing in a large room facing three rows of benches curving around to form a semi-circle. The seats were occupied with scores of ancient angels, all much older than Nick, with wispy white hair and papery-thin skin. Among them was Thomas, the angel that had first entrusted the baby Harry to Nick’s care. Nick had finished explaining all that he knew about the previous day’s events and was now anxiously awaiting the opinion of the elders. He always felt incredibly worried whenever he was standing in this position.

“What you have told us is concerning indeed,” one of the angels finally spoke, “That our enemies would be able to have such control over one of our warriors is unsettling.”

‘Unsettling’ was not the word that Nick would have used – terrifying, dangerous, disturbing might have been better. He hated how these ancient angels phrased things. Of course, he didn’t interrupt - he knew better.

“What concerns me,” another voice spoke. “Is the influence that this strange angel has had on Harry. He is our most precious weapon after all. He cannot be allowed to become a victim of such trickery.”

Nick’s nostrils flared at the term ‘weapon’. How could they speak about Harry as though he was just a thing that they had control over? Before his tongue could run away with him and blurt out some response, someone else beat him to it.

“I do not think that we should describe Harry as a ‘weapon’. He is an angel with a life the same as any of us. He does not know of what has been written. Perhaps we should look at this from a personal angle, rather than discussing how it might affect our chances of defeating our enemies.”

Nick scanned the wrinkled faces and his eyes landed on Thomas. He was always one of the elders that was more understanding and approachable.

“Nicholas, perhaps you have a theory about what might have happened. After all, you know Harry better than any of us.”

Nick felt his knees go weak as all eyes in the chamber fell on him. His throat was incredibly dry and he licked his lips before he could speak. He knew what he thought had happened, but he also knew that it wouldn’t go down well with some of the elders.

“I think, that it’s a possibility, that Harry…saw his soulmate yesterday,” a collective gasp rushed through the assembled group, but Nick continued. “I have never heard of anyone being so totally captivated unless it was by the one they were meant to be with. I believe that Harry caught sight of Louis.”

“Absolutely outrageous!” the angel that had called Harry a weapon shouted. “This is a disgrace! It is not possible. That child was taken from here as an infant and most probably killed. Are we expected to listen to this ridiculous notion?”

“Brother Luke, surely you can accept that if Louis _had_ been killed, Harry himself would have been affected. His life would not have been as it is,” Thomas countered calmly. “I believe that Nicholas has provided a plausible explanation.”

“Even if he has,” Luke interrupted and scowled at Nick. “What would you have us do? Even if it was Louis, which I doubt is even possible, he has clearly been conditioned to fight for our enemies.”

“Nicholas, what would _you_ have us do?” Thomas looked at him kindly, but Nick secretly wished he’d stop bringing him into the conversation.

“I think…maybe…we should tell Harry about the prophecy,” Nick almost whispered the last part and braced himself for the explosion that he knew was sure to follow. True enough, the elderly angels erupted into heated conversation immediately and Nick hoped that they would forget he was even present. The banging of a gavel on the bench silenced the animated group.

“You may as well commit blasphemy. Harry must not know of what was written. It could be the downfall of us all if he attempts to find what was taken from him. Can you imagine if he failed? If he was killed whilst attempting it? We would all be doomed,” Luke spoke lowly. His tone was almost menacing and Nick wished that he could sink into the shadows of the chamber.

“I believe that we should have a vote,” Thomas spoke up again. “All those that believe that we should reveal the prophecy raise your hand.”

Nick could quickly count the number of hands that were raised as he scanned the group, not enough to support him. Luke demanded that those against the idea raised their hands and Nick’s idea was defeated in the blink of an eye.  

Luke turned his eyes back to Nick. “Do not think that you can get away with telling him of the prophecy. You have been sworn to keep that secret. You know what will happen if you break your oath.”

Nick nodded, wide eyed. He hated this. He hated how these stuffy old angels had so much control over so many other lives, but he was not brave enough to challenge them. He felt sick with the effort that this encounter had taken.

“What should I tell him then? He’s waiting for me to tell him what you said,” Nick spoke quietly.

Thomas smiled sadly at Nick. “Tell him that we are going to discuss it further and look back through our records to see if it has happened before. I’m sorry that we cannot do more than that Nicholas.”

Nick knew that the old angel felt bad about what had happened. He knew that Thomas was on his side and wanted to tell Harry the truth. It helped to know that he had at least one ally amongst the higher ranking angels.

Nick bowed lowly, before exiting the chamber and leaning against the closed door. He could hear the sounds of the elders arguing amongst themselves once more, but he was just grateful to be away from them.

This was not fair. Harry deserved to know the truth and deserved to have the chance to find the one he was meant to be with, but Luke was right, Nick knew the price he would pay for breaking his oath, and he wasn’t ready to pay it yet.  

***

Weeks later, Harry had been allowed back out to fight. It wasn’t because he had received any definite answers from the elders. It was simply because he was needed. The enemy had suddenly leapt into action and began attacking violently and all available soldiers were needed to defend the city. They had managed to drive their aggressors back in the direction of Hell and now the battles raged on the open plains between the two realms.

Harry didn’t care all that much that he hadn’t got any answers yet. He was just relieved to be back out fighting again. He had realised that he wasn’t going to get anything useful from the elders. Nick had been brave enough to tell him as much. So now he had decided that he would do his best to figure things out for himself.

As usual, Nick had been beside himself with worry when Niall and Harry were called to be part of the first wave of defence. Even more so following Harry’s reaction the last time he was involved in any action. Harry and Niall had tried their best to reassure him that they would be fine but Nick had seemed completely inconsolable this time. They had never seen him quite as distressed before; nothing they could say could calm him down. In truth, Nick was torturing himself about not revealing the truth to Harry, but he knew deep down that he really didn’t have much choice. Still, he was silently cursing himself for lying to Harry. He had returned from his meeting with the elders and been faced with Harry’s desperate questions. Nick had looked into the trusting eyes of his ward and told the lies that he was forced to. He despised himself for it and almost thought that his dishonesty would be visible on his face. Fortunately, or maybe not, his lies were believed. Of course they were. Why would Harry have any reason to doubt him? Nick had always been there and had always been a trustworthy figure in his life. Any misgivings that Harry had about Nick’s reaction were quickly dismissed as simply his over-protective guardian reacting to a situation that had worried him deeply. Nick had watched the two younger angels leave with a heavy heart, wondering for the millionth time why things had to be like this.

***

Intense battles had been raging for over a week. Originally the angels from heaven had been sent out to defend their realm and drive their enemies away from their city walls. The defensive strategy had been successful but the angels had remained on the plains still locked in battle. Every so often there would be a lull in the fighting, both sides needing to regroup, ascertain their losses and devise future strategy. Then the battles would recommence.

The angels from Hell had seized an opportunity to attack when they thought their enemies appeared to be least prepared. Weeks ago they had sent out a group of soldiers to hit the enemy city with a barrage of fireballs as a test for the defences. The angels involved in the attack had reported back how unprepared their opposition had seemed for such an assault and this had prompted the senior ranking officers to orchestrate a full scale battle strategy. Now, weeks later, the battle was in full flow. Both sides had suffered losses but, for now, neither side seemed willing to yield.

“I’m pretty sure I used to get a better night’s sleep in the cells than I do here,” Zayn whined.

Louis laughed at his complaining friend, “Well we were in those cells often enough. We probably moulded the beds to fit us!”

“I might get myself into trouble just so they send me back there,” Zayn continued, “We’ve been out here for days. How long do you think this’ll go on for?”

“Dunno, I’ve already asked Li and he’s not giving anything away, as usual. I guess we just have to get on with it and stop moaning,” Louis replied.

Any more complaining from Zayn was silenced by the sound of a horn blowing nearby.

“Come on. That’s us, we better get our stuff together and get out there,” Louis told him as he threw Zayn’s armour towards him.

A little later they stood in a large crowd of angels listening to Liam giving instructions about the battle. It seemed a little pointless to Louis. It was the same every day. Go out onto the plains, kill any enemy angels that they encountered, don’t take any prisoners.

As Liam finished his speech with a rousing cheer of encouragement for his troops, the soldiers began to file away toward the open land. After several days of fighting, the plains bore the signs of war. There were bodies and smoking mounds, fallen weapons and missiles from both sides littering the ground.

As Louis stared into the distance he could see the enemy forces preparing in the same way. He couldn’t help but think that this was all senseless. What were they fighting for in the first place? But before he could lose himself to questioning the reasons and morals of the war he heard a shout to signal that they should begin moving forwards. All other thoughts were banished as the reality and danger of the situation set in again. Zayn was beside him as they began moving. He looked up at Louis and smiled at him cheekily. It was a far too comfortable smile for such a moment.

“I’ll be watching your back,” Zayn told him.

Louis smiled and rolled his eyes, “Concentrate on watching your own first. I won’t be far away.”

Zayn smiled at his friend again. He patted him on the back before their pace increased and they began to run towards their enemy.

***

Hours later the fighting was brutal. The two opposing sides had met in a violent collision of bodies and weapons. The noise was deafening, the air was filled with battle cries, screams of pain and the clash of weapons against enemy weapons and armour.

Louis had lost count of the number of angels he had fought against and defeated. Some were straightforward, younger more inexperienced soldiers that were dispatched after a few thrusts of his blade. Others were more seasoned warriors that he duelled with for a long time before a weary mistake was made and he saw his chance to go for the kill.

Louis was a warrior through and through, this was what he had been trained for, but even he was beginning to tire. There had been a close call not long ago, when he had slipped and the angel he was fighting had managed to punch him in the face. Louis’ body had tilted backwards leaving him woefully unprepared and the other angel had struck out with his sword. Somehow Louis managed to twist away from the weapon, but not quite far enough and his upper arm was slashed. He knew he couldn’t afford to give in to the pain. His enemy obviously thought that Louis was finished and confidently raised his sword to finish the job, just as Louis spun around and drove his own blade straight into the angel’s chest. The other angel looked almost confused for a moment, before Louis pulled his sword away and the angel collapsed to the floor. It took a moment of staring at the fallen angel before Louis realised the pain in his arm. He knew that had been close and now he was injured. He scanned the melee trying to catch sight of any of their senior officers, hoping that someone would instruct them to fall back but he saw no-one.

Suddenly it dawned on him that he had lost sight of Zayn. They always tried to stay close together during any sort of fighting and now he felt nervous to have lost that contact. He liked to look out for Zayn; he knew that his friend could take care of himself, but the thought of anything happening to Zayn and him not being there to help, worried him greatly. It was also reassuring to know that there was someone fighting alongside him that would watch out for him too. He knew that Zayn would willingly risk his own life to help Louis if he needed him. They had been best friends since they were children; taking care of each other was just second nature.

Now Louis was faced with a problem. He couldn’t simply begin searching for Zayn; after all he was still in the midst of a violent battle. He still had to fight to keep himself alive. All he could do was keep his eyes and ears open for any sign of his friend whilst continuing to fight. Unfortunately, he now had the added complication of being injured. His left arm was stinging painfully where the other angel’s blade had slashed him and as he began to move again, away from the fallen body of his opponent, warm blood dribbled down his arm and dripped off his elbow.

Louis scanned the battle as he moved, still not catching sight of Zayn. It didn’t take long before yet again he was confronted by another enemy angel. The fight didn’t last long this time as the young angel was no match for Louis even in his current injured state.

Again Louis moved on. It seemed as though he had moved away from the main crush of the fighting. He was aware of a few angels locked in combat nearby, but he took the opportunity to scour the crowd for Zayn. His eyes roamed over the sea of bodies and wings, searching for a glimpse of the face he knew so well.

For a moment his concentration was so focused on the task that he was aware of nothing else. He was snapped back to the reality of the situation by the sound of a battle cry behind him. He spun around just in time to raise his sword to avoid an enemy blade that was about to impale him. Even whilst fighting he reprimanded himself for being so careless. He struggled against the other angel, both of them seeming to be fairly evenly matched. There was another fight between two angels going on behind Louis and he knew that if he managed to defeat this enemy there would be another waiting for him immediately.

The angel that Louis was fighting was as tired as he was, Louis could tell by his reactions. Both of them were waiting for the other to make a fatal mistake, hoping that they could force their opponent into making that error soon. It was the other angel that slipped first. He moved forward to thrust his blade towards Louis at the wrong moment. Louis seized his chance and struck out with his own sword. A huge, bloody wound was ripped into the other angel’s side and he fell to the floor with a scream of pain. The angel was beaten. Louis had a choice; leave him to bleed to death slowly and painfully, or finish it now. He chose the latter option, driving his sword straight through the heart of his enemy, killing him instantly.

Taking deep breaths to recover from the exertion of the fight, Louis instantly knew that he had no time for rest. He was aware of another being approaching him quietly from behind and he knew that he was being stalked. He held his sword tightly, waiting for the exact moment when he could turn and catch his adversary off guard.

The sound of a sword swishing through the air was the signal he needed. He turned swiftly with his sword raised. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out almost deafeningly as he blocked the enemy sword with his own. Then he completely froze. Louis almost dropped his sword as he stared at the angel opposite him. The other angel had exactly the same expression on his face and he too automatically lowered his weapon.

Louis’ heart was thumping in his chest, faster than it had at any time during the whole battle. His eyes roamed over the figure before him; brown curly hair, messy and hanging around a perfectly sculpted face, bright green eyes, broad shoulders and strong arms. And the wings. They were the wings from Louis’ dream; ivory and glistening, and even covered in battle dirt, they were perfect. Louis had an almost overwhelming desire to reach out and stroke the feathers but he somehow managed to restrain himself. He was relieved to see the same confused, yet strangely contented, expression gracing the features of the other angel.

Louis was about to speak, to ask the other angel something, anything, just to hear his voice and find out if that was as perfect as everything else, when the look on the other angel’s face contorted into something completely different. It was a look of panic and fear. Before Louis had time to realise what was wrong the other angel had dived towards him and pushed him to the floor. A moment later an arrow whistled through the air exactly where Louis had been standing seconds before.

Louis’ eyes were wide as he looked across at where the other angel was now lying very close beside him.

“Why did you do that?” he asked. Louis knew the answer, because he knew he would have done the same if the roles were reversed, but he needed to hear it.

The curly haired angel was pushing himself up from the floor as he spoke in a rich, deep voice, but his eyes were fixed on Louis.

“I had to. I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” His eyes widened when he realised what he’d said and he looked almost embarrassed to have admitted such a deep sentiment.

Louis smiled warmly at him, his heart pounding even faster now. After a moment the other angel locked eyes with him and returned the smile. Neither of them moved for a long moment. They both seemed quite content to just stare at each other.

“Louis? Where are you?”

Both heads turned to look in the direction of the shouting voice as they were distracted from their reverence.

When Louis looked back at the curly haired angel he was backing away.

“I have to go,” he whispered sadly.

It was almost a sensation of panic that washed over Louis. He didn’t want this moment to end. How could his perfect contentment be shattered so soon?

The angel was slowly walking backwards away from Louis. His face seemed torn between emotions.

“Wait!” Louis suddenly called after him, “What’s your name?”

“Harry,” the angel called back. Then he looked at Louis meaningfully, “I _will_ see you again Louis.”

With that, he turned around and opened his wings. He pushed away from the ground and began to fly away. Louis couldn’t tear his eyes away, and Harry turned back several times to catch a final glimpse.

“There you are!” Zayn called with relief. “Where have you been? Didn’t you hear the horns telling us to fall back? They’re falling back too, it’s over for now. Louis, are you alright? Oh shit, you’re hurt.” Zayn grabbed his friend’s injured arm and Louis was finally awoken from his daze.

“Did you hear what I said?” Zayn asked him, staring at him in concern.

“Huh? Yeah, yeah I did. I’m glad you’re alright,” Louis answered.

“We need to get you back to camp to get that looked at. I think you must have lost a lot of blood ‘cause you don’t look so good. Does it hurt?”

Louis couldn’t concentrate on Zayn’s questions and rambling, but he did hear him ask if it hurt. Something was causing Louis pain but it wasn’t the wound on his arm; it was the hollow feeling he felt in his chest that had developed as he had watched Harry flying away and disappearing.

***

Louis had been obsessing for a week. His mind had been completely taken over by thoughts of Harry. Nearly every waking moment was filled with thinking about the angel he had met and reliving their encounter. Even in sleep his thoughts were monopolised, as his dreams were centred around Harry. Not that he minded, he couldn’t think of anything or anyone he would rather be infatuated with, but he didn’t like the nagging hollow feeling that seemed to expand in his chest with each day that passed.

 _“I will see you again Louis.”_ Those few words were both a curse and a joy to Louis. He had repeated them over and over in his head; imagining Harry’s voice, seeing his lips moving as he spoke them, loving the way his name sounded when it was spoken by that voice. Those words held a promise of what the future would bring. Harry had spoken them with such determination that Louis was sure that they would meet again someday. However, the rational side of Louis’ brain kept yelling at him that it was impossible. How could they ever meet again? As much as he cherished those words, they were almost torturing him. He wanted to believe that they could see each other again, but he just kept wondering how that would ever be possible.

Something else was bothering Louis. When his mind wasn’t fantasising about seeing Harry again or reliving their meeting, it was questioning why he had dreamt about Harry before he even knew that he existed. Louis hadn’t forgotten the painful dream that had left him screaming in a heap on the floor. When he had seen Harry during the battle he had known he was the angel from his dream. He had already known that his name was ‘Harry’ before he had asked; he had just wanted to hear it spoken out loud. He had wanted his dream confirmed. But why had he dreamt about Harry before? And why did he feel like he already knew Harry somehow? He knew that he wasn’t going to get any answers from Liam so maybe the only one he could turn to for help was Harry himself. It just made his desire to see Harry again all the more strong.

Louis’ preoccupied behaviour hadn’t gone unnoticed. Zayn was worried about his friend. All the soldiers had been called back from the battlefield the day after Louis and Harry had met. The senior officers had decided that no progress was being made and that it was pointless to continue the fighting for now.

Many of the angels involved in the battle were complaining quietly to each other about why they were continually being sent out to fight a war that neither side could win. Most of the angels had lost friends and family again in the latest battle and there was a definite feeling of discontent amongst the soldiers. Not that any of them would dare to voice their opinions publicly. It would be more than their lives were worth if the Master found out. Louis was usually amongst those who showed signs of being unhappy about the war. He was an outstanding warrior and he followed the orders he was given, but he often spoke with his friends, particularly Zayn, about how futile the fighting was.

Since returning from the battlefield Louis had hardly spoken about the situation at all. Zayn had tried to prompt him into discussions but Louis hadn’t been able to maintain his concentration on the topic for long enough to contribute much. At first Zayn had wondered if Louis’s odd behaviour was related to the injury he had sustained during the fight. Zayn didn’t really know the details as Louis had seemed either unable or unwilling to discuss what had happened during the battle. Then Zayn had considered that Louis was possibly traumatised by something that had occurred, which would explain why he didn’t want to talk about it. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Louis had been through so many battles and seen so many terrible things that Zayn decided that couldn’t be what was wrong. All Zayn knew was that since they had returned Louis had been distant, like he was lost in his own world, and nothing he could say or do seemed to bring his friend back.

It was another day of frustrating and unnerving silence that caused Zayn to finally voice his concerns.

“Louis?” Zayn had to wait for his friend to stop staring at the bedroom wall and look in his direction. “Is everything alright?”

Louis looked at him blankly for a moment before lying, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath, knowing that this could end badly, “Well, I don’t think you seem ‘fine’. Ever since we got home you’ve been…weird.”

Louis looked at him, with what he hoped was a _‘really? I didn’t think so’_ kind of expression.

Zayn continued, knowing his friend far too well. “You know you can talk to me. If there’s something bothering you I wish you’d tell me. I don’t like seeing you so quiet and distant. You’ve hardly said a word since we’ve been back. You hardly leave this room and when you’re in here you spend most of your time staring at nothing. Something’s wrong. Something happened to you didn’t it?”

Louis was suddenly aware of how strange his behaviour must have been. He had been so consumed with his thoughts that he hadn’t even considered how it would have looked to anyone watching him. He should have realised that his best friend would be worried about him. He didn’t have a story prepared to explain his behaviour and he knew he couldn’t just tell Zayn what had happened. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zayn. He knew he could tell him and it would go no further than the room they were in, but he just didn’t know how to explain it and he wasn’t ready to either.

Zayn was watching him, waiting for some reaction from his friend. When he received none he continued speaking. “And that’s not all. I know you’ve been dreaming again too. You moan and mumble in your sleep like something’s really bothering you.”

Louis felt himself go into panic. Zayn was so close to touching on the truth that he didn’t know how to react calmly, “What are you, a spy? I can’t even sleep without you watching me!”

“It’s pretty hard for me to do anything else when you’re groaning and shouting in the middle of the night!”

“So what? I’ve always had weird dreams. Nothing’s changed.” _Except everything_ , Louis silently added in his head.

“I’m not trying to upset you. I’m just trying to understand - to help,” Zayn tried to stay calm.

“I don’t need help. I’m absolutely _fine_. If I want you to stick your nose in I’ll tell you,” Louis replied bluntly. He watched as a flash of hurt crossed Zayn’s face and he suddenly felt like a monster. What was happening to him? “I’m sorry Zayn. I didn’t mean it to come out like that. Look I’m fine, honestly. You know you don’t have to worry about me. I’m tough enough to look after myself. I’m going to go and get some air.”

Zayn nodded slightly but didn’t say anything else. He didn’t believe that his friend was ‘fine’ for a minute, but he wasn’t about to push it any further. All he could do was keep an eye on Louis and be there when he was ready to talk.

 

When Louis walked out of the room, he let out a long sigh of relief. He had to do something. Sitting around, waiting and wishing for something, wasn’t going to work. He decided to act on what he wanted.

***

Miles away, Harry was having the same problems. He had been completely overwhelmed by his encounter with Louis and had spent the following days walking around in a confused state. Part of him felt complete bliss after the meeting, the other part felt a horrible sensation of emptiness that had grown from the moment he had flown away from Louis. He too had endured the interrogation about his strange behaviour. Niall had tackled the subject head-on in his usual style, asking Harry why he was being so weird and spaced out. Harry had realised how much time he had spent quietly daydreaming and thinking and had tried his best to snap out of it. At least he was able to put on a good act of being back to his usual self. Although every moment when he was left alone was a moment when he could relive the precious seconds he had spent with Louis and imagine what their future meetings might be like. After all, he was convinced that he would see Louis again. He didn’t know why he was so sure, he just knew it.

While Niall had laughed at Harry’s bizarre behaviour, Nick had watched him silently, wondering what had happened to cause such an odd shift in Harry’s mood. Secretly, he considered the possibility that Harry had been in the vicinity of Louis on the battlefield, and had been left with the strange after effects of such a close encounter. He had no way of knowing how close to the truth he was because he didn’t dare ask.

Harry wasn’t able to spend too long sitting in his room dwelling on his thoughts, as only a few days after he had returned from the battlefield he had been assigned to watch duty around the city walls. Even as he marched around the outside of the perimeter walls on guard for enemy angels his mind was not truly on task. His thoughts wandered to the moment his eyes had first met Louis’s. The notion that he had been about to stab Louis with his sword sent a chill down his spine and he rearranged his wings against his back as though trying to shake the feeling away. It had been amazing, yet terrifying, how quickly the adrenaline of the battle had drained away as he had looked into those blue eyes. It had been replaced with a warm sensation throughout his body and mind. He could have gladly stood there staring at Louis for the rest of eternity.

Everything about Louis had sent Harry’s heart racing in his chest. He knew that Louis was the angel he had seen weeks before. From that distance Harry had been frozen in place, now up close he felt like he wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch Louis, just to see if he was really there. Not only that, Harry had felt such an urge to run his hands along the powerful, black wings that were held partially open in readiness at Louis’ back. Harry almost blushed at the thought. Touching another angel’s wings in such a way was considered to be a very intimate action, but he just couldn’t help himself. If he hadn’t caught sight of that arrow flying directly towards Louis he was sure he wouldn’t have been able to control the urge for much longer. Again, Harry shuddered as he considered the possibility of the arrow finding its target and killing Louis. The idea made him want to vomit and scream and cry all at the same time so he quickly pushed it away, in favour of concentrating on more appealing things, like Louis’ eyes and Louis’ wings and Louis’ skin.

As Harry trudged around the outside of the wall, daydreaming, he was completely unaware that he was being watched. It really was completely ridiculous for him to be on watch duty when he was so oblivious to everything going on around him in his current state. He was having enough trouble walking in a straight line without having to focus on his surroundings. He was caught completely off-guard when a figure landed beside him. Harry was startled out of his daze by the object of his fantasies landing gently next to him. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to think of something to say, but nothing came out.

Louis didn’t speak either, he looked around nervously, and placed his finger to his own lips to silence any words that Harry might have decided to speak. Then he turned around and signalled for Harry to follow him.

Harry’s eyes were wide as he looked all around to see if anyone was watching. There was no question in his mind that he was going to follow Louis, he just didn’t want anyone to see them. When he knew that all was clear, he silently followed.

It didn’t take long before Louis had led him to a secluded area at the foot of a large hill. They could see both of the cities of Heaven and Hell from where they were standing, although they were much closer to Harry’s home.

As Louis turned around to face him, Harry spoke immediately. “What are you doing here? This is really dangerous.”

Louis looked at him steadily, knowing that Harry wasn’t angry with him, but also knowing that he was right. “I couldn’t stay away. I’ve been going out of my mind. I know it’s dangerous but…I just had to find you.”

Harry looked at him seriously for a moment before smiling slightly. “I’m glad you did.”

Louis couldn’t restrain the smile that broke across his own face. He sat down on the floor and beckoned for Harry to do the same.

For a long time they sat looking at one another, trying to absorb as much about each other as possible.

It was Louis that broke the silence. “I feel better now I’m near you.”

Harry nodded slowly. “Me too. These last few days have been…awful. It actually _hurt_.”

“That’s how I felt too. I’ve been in a bit of a blur since I saw you.”

As they sat discussing how they had been feeling, it dawned on both of them that they were talking about something so personal with someone they had only met once before but it didn’t seem odd at all. In fact they felt completely comfortable.

“Why do I feel like I already know you?” Harry asked suddenly. “I mean, we’ve only met once before, but I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you might be able to explain it to me,” Louis laughed.

“Well actually I _have_ seen you before,” Harry admitted, “From a long way away.”

Louis raised an eyebrow in confusion and Harry began to explain what had happened the day he had nearly been killed by a fireball because he was so busy staring at him. Louis looked appalled by the story, the feeling of sickness washing over him at the thought of Harry being killed.

“I can beat that, I dreamt about you ages ago,” Louis told him simply. “I didn’t see your face, but when I met you the other day I knew it was the same person. I even knew your name.”

Harry looked stunned, but also a little flattered by what Louis told him.

Talking to each other seemed so easy. It was the strangest feeling to feel like they already knew each other yet knew nothing about one another. It was a quite a long time before Harry suddenly realised that someone was going to notice that he was missing.

“Oh no, I have to go!” he said as he stood up quickly.

“That’s the second time you’ve said that to me,” Louis replied, as he too stood up.

Harry looked between Louis and the city he called home. “I don’t want to, but if I don’t they’ll probably send a search party out. I need to see you again though.”

Louis smiled as he felt his heart swell at the words, “Tomorrow. Meet me here. At about the same time.”

Harry nodded and smiled widely at the suggestion. “Definitely,” he paused as he looked at Louis for a long moment. “Goodbye Louis.”

He started to walk away, then stopped and looked back to see Louis once more. Louis held up his hand to wave and smiled, even though the hollow feeling was creeping back into his chest again.

Harry smiled, even though his eyes gave away that he was feeling just the same, then he opened his wings and began to fly back to the city. He turned around several times and each time Louis was still there watching him go.

When Harry was lost from sight, Louis sat back down on the floor and rubbed his chest slightly. ‘ _Tomorrow_ ,’ he told himself, ‘ _You only have to wait until tomorrow_.’

***

Harry and Louis continued to meet secretly every day in the same place. Neither of them could wait for the moment when they would be reunited and they both hated when the time came that they had to go their separate ways. It was almost torture for them having to part. They had been meeting for over a week. With every encounter they were learning more and more about each other and growing closer.

Both Louis and Harry’s close friends had noticed yet another shift in their mood and behaviour. Since they had been meeting regularly, the two angels had been much more like their usual selves. It was still hard for them to be apart from each other for any length of time, regardless of how short it was, but they were reassured by the knowledge that they would be able to see each other the next day. They still spent much of their time apart daydreaming about the other. Every time they met again the terrible hollow aching feeling was immediately relieved.

During one of their discussions the topic of their childhoods and their past was raised. Both of them hoped that if they knew more about their pasts they could find some explanation for why they were so drawn to one another.

Harry was stunned when Louis had revealed that he knew nothing about where he had come from. He had asked a lot of questions to try to find out more, but Louis had no answers for him. It seemed unbelievable that someone could know nothing about who they really were. Harry had almost felt guilty as he had explained what he knew about his own background, but he knew that Louis would never begrudge him the knowledge.

Following the discussion that day, Louis had decided that it was time he knew more. Not only would it give him the answers he had always sought but now it might help him to understand more about his relationship with Harry. It was significant to them both. He had asked Liam many times about his past but he had never been given any answers, now he knew that it was even more important to find out the truth. Liam had warned against it, but Louis decided that his only option was to ask the Master for help.

When Louis had finally returned home following his meeting with Harry that day, he had gone straight to the Master’s chambers deep in the heart of the realm. Liam was right; the Master didn’t like to be disturbed or troubled by any of the lower angel’s problems. He was quick to anger and often brutal in his punishments. Louis had been terrified the first time he had been brought before the demon as a disobedient child. It wasn’t Liam who had taken him, it had been another of the angels who had caught him and Zayn sneaking around in the private, out of bounds rooms. The fright of being spoken to by such an intimidating creature had been enough to scare Louis and Zayn into behaving – at least for a little while.

Throughout his childhood and youth Louis had been brought before the Master and reprimanded. Each time he received his sentence he found himself wondering why it was never anything truly terrible. He knew that the Master was capable of ordering far worse punishments than he had ever been given.

Even with Liam’s warning ringing in his mind, Louis decided to brave the visit. Perhaps the Master wasn’t really so unreasonable. Perhaps there was no real reason to fear him. So now he found himself standing outside a large wooden door. He questioned his sanity once more before he raised his hand and knocked.

Louis was welcomed to the room by one of the Master’s servants. No words were exchanged, although the servant raised his eyebrows when he recognised the angel standing in the doorway. Louis was led through a dimly lit hall towards a throne where a demon sat.

The Master had once been an angel just like Louis and all the others but thousands of years of hatred and rage had corrupted his body, heart and soul. His skin was a dirty grey shade, his eyes were sparkling red and his wings were pitch black. His once handsome face had been contorted into a monstrous grimace. Sharp teeth were visible each time he opened his mouth to speak and even his hands were more like claws now. Louis stood before the frightful demon waiting to be acknowledged.

“What brings you to my chambers Louis?”

Louis took a deep breath before he spoke. As much as he had tried to prepare himself for this, he was still incredibly anxious about the reaction he would receive.

“My Lord, I have come to ask for your help and advice.”

The Master looked at him steadily. “Whatever you need must be very important to you for you to risk such a visit.”

“It is my Lord,” Louis replied simply.

“Well, you had better explain.”

Louis could hardly believe that he hadn’t been shouted out and thrown out already. He began to explain why he was there.

“My Lord, I have recently become keen to know more about my past; where I came from, who my family were, how I came to be here. I hoped that you may be able to tell me more.”

“I would have thought that Liam would have told you everything you would need to know.”

“Liam has hardly told me anything. He says he doesn’t know much about where I came from or why. I need to know more and he cannot help me.”

The Master didn’t reply immediately and Louis wondered whether he needed to ask an outright question in order to get an answer. Before he could speak again, the Master did.

“I may be able to help you Louis, but before I do, I am curious. I wonder why you are suddenly so desperate to know more. Why are you so desperate to know that you would come to speak to me?”

Louis had taken a huge risk in coming to ask the Master for help, but he wasn’t completely naïve. He knew that it wouldn’t be wise to tell the demon anything about his meetings with Harry.

“I just feel that I need to know more about myself. I have so many questions and things that I don’t understand.”

“I am sure you do Louis, but you have always had these questions. Why do you feel the need to find your answers now?”

The Master was obviously not going to reveal anything until he had a good reason to, so Louis decided to take yet another risk.

“I recently had a strange dream. I saw another angel that I was drawn to. It was a stranger but I felt like I already knew him somehow. I have been trying to understand what it might mean. I spoke to Liam about it but he couldn’t tell me anything.”

Something flickered across the Master’s face as Louis spoke but it was such a small movement that Louis didn’t notice.

“You have told Liam of this dream?”

“Yes my Lord,” Louis replied. “But he didn’t know how to explain it. That is why I have come to seek your guidance. I am sure that it must be something to do with my past.”

The Master studied Louis for a long time before he spoke, “You were brought here as a baby, you know this already. The woman who brought you said she was saving you from a terrible place. I know not whether she was your mother. She abandoned you here saying that you would be safer with us, and then she disappeared. I am afraid there is nothing else to tell you. The dream you speak of, may be a foretelling of the future – something that might happen to you. For now, it is unwise to dwell on it. Do not waste your time living through fantasies. All you need to know is that you belong here with us Louis. Anything that has gone before is in the past and should not concern you.”

Louis couldn’t believe that was all the Master could tell him. He _didn’t_ believe it. He knew that there had to be more to know. He wanted to ask for more. He wanted to call the Master a liar, but he held his tongue. This had been a useless and disappointing waste of time. Louis told the Master how grateful he was for any help, all the time trying to hide his true feelings, then he left the chambers and stalked back to his room.

As soon as Louis was gone, the Master had sent two of his guards to fetch Liam. While Louis had decided that the visit had been useless and disappointing, he hadn’t realised how dangerous it truly was.

***

A few hours later, Liam sat on the edge of his bed with a bowl of water and several bloodied rags before him. He grabbed a clean piece of material and dipped it into the water. Then he gently dabbed the cloth against his face where three large, angry cuts were now marking his cheek. As he sat there he considered what had happened leading up to his current state. At least he was alive, for now. He couldn’t blame Louis for what had happened; he knew Louis would never have intended to get him into such trouble with the Master.

_Liam had known that something was wrong the moment he had opened his door to find two of the Master’s minions standing there. As they had led him through the corridors towards the Master’s chambers, Liam had questioned himself about why he would be summoned. He couldn’t think of anything that he had done wrong recently but he doubted that the visit was merely going to be a social call._

_Within minutes, Liam was standing before the demon lord waiting._

_“I am sure you are wondering why I have sent for you Liam,” he didn’t wait for a response, merely continued in a relaxed tone, “I have received a surprise visitor today. Louis came to my chambers earlier.”_

_Liam couldn’t hide the look of shock and panic that appeared on his face._

_“Ah, I see you too are surprised. Imagine how my shock grew when he told me of a strange dream he had. A dream all about an angel he felt strangely drawn to.  A dream which he apparently told you all about but you felt no need to inform me of,” the Master hissed._

_“My Lord…” Liam began but he was cut off abruptly._

_“I do not wish to hear pitiful excuses. Have you forgotten that you were meant to inform me of everything to do with that wretch? Have you forgotten that that was one of the conditions of him being allowed to live? Have you forgotten the punishment you received the last time you kept anything to do with him from me?”_

_Liam shuddered at the memory of the occasion when Louis had been a child and the Master had discovered that Liam had allowed him to live. Liam had been lucky to survive and had practically begged for Louis’ life to be spared._

_“I cannot allow anyone to betray me,” the Master said._

_“My Lord, I apologise. I was wrong to think that the dream didn’t matter. I should have told you as soon as Louis mentioned his dream about Harry,” Liam gushed in an attempt to save his life._

_The Master’s eyes narrowed and a gruesome smirk pulled at his mouth._

_“Do not disappoint me again Liam,” he stepped closer to where Liam was standing looking at him with a mixture of apprehension and relief displayed on his face. He suddenly struck out with his clawed hand and hit Liam across the cheek. Liam’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, but he didn’t make a sound – he knew that he should be grateful to have only received this punishment._

_“I may not be so forgiving next time,” the Master snarled, before turning his back and walking away._

_Liam knew that was his signal to leave and he quickly turned and left the dark hall._

Now he nursed his injury silently wondering what the Master would do next. Liam already knew that he would never do anything to betray Louis. He had kept many secrets about Louis from the Master and nothing was going to change, even if it led to his own death. However, he was well aware that the Master would not rest now. Spies would be given the task of reporting Louis’ every move now that Liam could not be trusted.

Liam was so relieved to escape with his life that he had not realised that he had unintentionally provided the Master with exactly what he needed. He had revealed the name of the angel from Louis’ dream and that was all the Master needed. As soon as the door had slammed shut behind Liam, the Master had commanded a group of soldiers to ready themselves for an attack on the city of Heaven. Their aim was to find the angel named Harry and kill him.

***

In their usual place, Harry and Louis were meeting again in secret. Every moment they spent together seemed perfect but the time was always too short. Once again, they had been talking about their experiences as children and young adults. Harry had been completely fascinated by listening to Louis tell his stories about the things he got up to with Zayn by his side. His eyes seemed to drink in every feature of Louis’ face. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Louis’ eyes and lips as they told the stories; he didn’t want to miss a thing.

Now Harry was telling Louis about how he and Niall were always in trouble as youngsters. Louis listened intently, loving the sound of Harry’s voice and smiling brightly when Harry laughed during his retelling.

“And what punishments did you receive for all this misbehaving?” Louis light-heartedly asked when Harry finished speaking.

“We always had to do chores and make up for it somehow, but Nick was never that strict really.”

“Me and Zayn could have done with someone like him on our side when we were kids,” Louis said. “Nick sounds like a great guardian to you and Niall.”

Harry’s face immediately lit up again, “Oh he’s the best. We probably don’t show him often enough, but he means the world to us. He’s always been there and always looks out for us.”

“You’re very lucky to have someone like that,” Louis replied smiling softly.

“Well you have good friends too. You said yourself, Zayn’s your best friend and Liam is there for you.”

“I know,” Louis sighed, “But I always felt like something was missing.” He paused as he looked at Harry for a long moment, then continued to speak, “I’d like to meet Nick one day.”

Harry looked at Louis steadily, almost as though he was making a final decision in his mind. “Well you should meet him soon. I’ve been thinking about telling Nick about you anyway.”

Louis’ eyes were wide and he stuttered out a response, “Don’t you think that’s dangerous. I mean you and I are supposed to be enemies, not meeting in secret like this.”

“I trust Nick completely. I know that he wouldn’t tell anyone else. Actually, I think he’d be pleased for us. And I know he’d really like you, and you’d like him. I’m going to tell him when I get back,” Harry announced happily.

It seemed surreal to Louis that Harry was so sure about telling someone else about them. The idea worried him, but Harry’s unshakeable faith in his guardian began to put Louis at ease.

They talked for a little while longer, mostly about how they could imagine anyone else reacting to finding out about them. They joked about it, but deep down Louis knew that the angels that he associated with would not react favourably.

Their discussion was interrupted by the sound of a warning bell tolling from Harry’s home city. Both of them looked in the direction of the sound.

“What’s that?” Louis asked as Harry rose to his feet and looked into the distance.

Harry’s brow furrowed and he turned back to look at Louis, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a practice drill. I’d better head back just to make sure. If they notice I’m not there they might start asking questions.”

Louis couldn’t hold back the frustrated sigh that slipped past his lips and Harry looked at him apologetically.

“I’m sorry,” he said sadly. “I wish I didn’t have to go. Tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Louis replied immediately.

Harry smiled remorsefully and began to walk away. After a few paces he turned his head round and looked back to see Louis standing watching him leave, as always. He couldn’t continue walking away. Turning quickly, he walked back towards Louis, moving with a much quicker pace than he had been leaving with. He stopped in front of Louis and looked into his eyes for a moment. Then he lifted his hands to rest on either side of Louis’ face and pressed his lips against the other angel’s. The kiss began so gently as both of them seemed to be in a daze, before the realisation of what they were doing dawned on them both and they began to kiss more passionately. Harry’s hands moved into Louis’ soft hair, and Louis pulled Harry closer by wrapping his arms around his back.

They might not have ever separated except for the insistent ringing of the warning bell in the distance.

Reluctantly, Louis pulled away. “I thought you had to go.”

The sound that left Harry’s lips was almost a growl, “I do.” Very softly, he pressed his lips to Louis’ again. Then as he moved away he whispered, “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Louis echoed.

This time, Harry actually managed to leave, but Louis remained where he was. He sat back on the ground, remembering every moment he had spent with the other angel and loving the fact that he could still taste Harry on his lips.

***

When Harry landed in the courtyard of the citadel, he was met with a scene of utter chaos. There were angels running around in all different directions, some seemed to have a sense of purpose, others looked panicked. Smoke was billowing from one of the towers near to where he was standing and also from one area of the city wall.

A loud, angry shout from above drew his attention and he turned his head towards the sky. A small group of enemy angels were flying back towards Hell being pursued by another group of angels that Harry recognised.

The warning bell had been alerting them of an attack and Harry felt a wave of guilt wash over him knowing that he wasn’t where he should have been when he was needed.

Listening to angels all around him shouting and screaming suddenly made his thoughts focus on his friends. He had to find Niall and Nick; he had to know that they were alright. He turned quickly and ran towards the archway that would take him to the corridor that would lead him through to the room he shared with Niall.

Other angels, angels he knew, were running in the opposite direction. After a few flights of stairs Harry arrived outside his own room and he pushed the door open without hesitating. One of the arched windows was smashed and the drapes were flapping wildly in the breeze. There was no sign of Niall or anyone else and it seemed eerily quiet standing looking at the broken glass.

Harry didn’t feel any relief, he still desperately wanted to locate his friends. He turned and left the room, but didn’t need to go far as Nick’s room was the next one along the hallway. He paused outside for a moment before pushing the door open.

Niall was standing at the far end of the room with his back to the door. He was standing beside Nick’s bed blocking Harry’s view.

Harry swallowed thickly, this didn’t seem right somehow. He stepped into the room and the door closed quietly behind him. The noise was enough to attract Niall’s attention and he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Harry immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. Never in all their years as friends had he ever seen Niall looking so desolate. Harry took another step forwards and Niall turned back to the bed. He was whispering, so quietly that Harry couldn’t make anything out, then he turned around and walked towards Harry. He stopped in front of his friend and looked into his eyes. Harry didn’t want to know what was causing his friend such pain, he almost wanted to back out of the door and disappear down the corridor. He didn’t want to face it.

Niall didn’t speak, he just held the eye contact for a long moment. He reached out his hand and patted Harry on the shoulder, then he shook his head and brushed past him. Harry was sure he saw Niall’s face crumple as he watched him leave, but now his eyes were fixed on the figure lying on the bed.

Slowly, with his heart screaming at him to turn back, he walked towards the bed. He knew what he was looking at, but he didn’t want to accept it. As he reached the bed he looked down at the pale face of his guardian. Nick’s eyes were closed and his skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He was covered in a blanket but the top of a blood soaked bandage wrapped around his chest could be seen.

Nick seemed to sense a presence beside his bed and his eyes opened slowly. He looked at Harry fondly and smiled gently.

“Oh Nick,” Harry whispered. “What happened?”

Nick coughed quietly before speaking. “We were attacked. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sit down Harry.”

Harry did as he was told and sat on the edge of the bed.

“You’re going to be alright though,” he said trying to sound optimistic but knowing that he was lying to himself.

Nick sighed. “It will be alright Harry. _You’ll_ be alright. You and Niall need to look out for each other.”

Harry hung his head and closed his eyes. He couldn’t speak. He could hardly believe that this was happening; he didn’t want to.

Looking at the top of Harry’s head, Nick decided the time for the truth was now. Strangely enough he had decided that he would tell Harry about the prophecy a few days ago; he had just been waiting for the right moment. Now it seemed that it _had_ to be the right moment because he was quickly running out of time.

“There’s something you need to know,” he said weakly.

Harry looked up and waited for Nick to continue.

“Long before you were born a prophecy was written. It spoke of two angels being born here within these walls with strange markings that would become unique wings. Those two angels would bring about the end of the war – they would defeat the angels of Hell. I have kept it from you for so long but now… now you need to know the truth… _you_ are one of those angels Harry.”

Harry’s face screwed up in confusion and he shook his head, “What are you talking about? This doesn’t make sense. There is no-one else like me here.”

Nick was taking shuddering breaths now and he spoke slowly. “There was an angel born before you. He wasn’t here for very long after you were born before he was kidnapped by our enemies. The elders assumed that he was killed…but I have always believed that he is out there somewhere.”

“But why didn’t you tell me this _before_? Why would you keep this from me?” Harry sounded desperate and confused.

Nick coughed weakly again. “I’m so sorry Harry. I’ve been such a coward. The elders bound me not to tell you; I knew that I would die if I told you and I was afraid. You may not believe me but I was going to tell you soon. I didn’t want to have to tell you like this but I have no choice…I hope you can forgive me.”

Harry’s eyes were wide and Nick was so scared that he would storm out of the room and that would be the last thing he saw before he died. He had to tell Harry something else before it was too late.

“I know I have betrayed you Harry, but _please_ have faith in me now. You shouldn’t trust the elders. They are only interested in their own gains. They see you as a weapon in defeating their enemies. You must try to find the other angel. I believe that he is your soul mate…his name was Louis.”

A gasp of shock passed Harry’s lips and he put his head in his hands. His mind was spinning. There were so many revelations in such a short space of time and not enough time left to get all of the answers he wanted.

On top of all of that, his guardian, the one who had cared for him all his life was dying. Maybe Nick had lied to him but that didn’t matter right now. Harry reached out and took Nick’s hand. “Nick, you haven’t _betrayed_ me. I understand why you kept this from me and I can only imagine how hard it’s been for you. I wish you had been able to tell me sooner. But I don’t blame you for this…I forgive you, of course I do.” He choked a little as he tried to compose his thoughts. “There’s something you need  to know too.”

Nick looked so tired but he was smiling gently at Harry in relief. He also looked curious, but didn’t speak.

Harry smiled gently. “I’ve already found Louis…and he’s _everything_ I have ever wanted.”

Nick’s exhausted face relaxed completely and he took a deep breath. He looked so content and tears shone in his eyes. “I knew you would one day. I’m so pleased for you Harry, I can’t even tell you how I feel. I truly hope you will be happy together for the rest of your lives.”

“I knew you’d be happy for us – I told him you would be.”

“I only wish I had had the chance to meet him,” Nick replied quietly, wearily. He sounded like he was going to fall asleep at any moment.

Harry was furiously trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes, “I wish you had too.”

Nick closed his eyes and remained very still for a long time.

Harry watched him, waiting anxiously to see his chest rise and fall.

The next time Nick wearily opened his eyes, he looked deep into Harry’s eyes and reached out to take his hand. He squeezed it with all the strength he could manage. “You’ll be alright Harry,” he breathed out.

Then his eyes fell closed and Harry waited to see his chest rise and fall again but it didn’t.

Harry sat and watched for a long time. After a while he realised that tears were rolling down his cheeks. Nick was gone. All his life Harry had loved and respected his guardian and now he had been cruelly snatched away. He held Nick’s hand tightly and hung his head as tears flowed freely from his eyes.

***

Louis had remained in the spot where Harry had left him for a long time. As always, the familiar hollow feeling had invaded his whole being as soon as he had lost sight of Harry, however the memory of what had happened that day was helping to ease the feeling of loss. He had hardly stopped smiling since Harry had kissed him and even as he decided that he really should head for home he still couldn’t wipe the look off his face. Why would he want to? That kiss had completed everything for him. It confirmed that Harry felt just the same as he did. Not only that, but it was also the most wonderful moment of Louis’ life. The feeling of Harry’s lips against his, Harry’s hands caressing the back of his neck, holding each other closely – it was perfect. Louis flew back home with a bright smile playing on his lips.

Upon his arrival, a terrible, furious howling could be heard throughout the realm. The walls of the buildings were actually shaking as the horrific sound echoed throughout the city. There was only one possible origin of the sound but Louis wanted to know more.

He quickly made his way towards the room he shared with Zayn. Pushing open the door, he chuckled as he saw his friend sitting cross-legged on his bed, looking down at a book with his hands over his ears. The noise wasn’t all that loud inside their room but Louis could understand how it would be quite difficult to concentrate.

“What’s going on?” he spoke loudly so that Zayn would hear him through the noise and the hands covering his ears.

Zayn looked up, a little startled, and rolled his eyes as he saw his friend standing smiling at him. “Sorry. I didn’t even notice you were there,” and he pointed meaningfully above his head.

Louis knew that his gestures were referring to the tremendous din but he wanted to know what was causing it. “What’s going on?” he asked again.

Zayn swung his legs over the edge of the bed and shrugged. “Don’t know the details really. Apparently, the Master sent a raid to the city of Heaven and they didn’t achieve what he wanted so he’s majorly pissed off – as you can hear.”

The smile had vanished from Louis’ face as soon as Zayn had mentioned the raid. That was what the warning bell had been signalling while he and Harry had been meeting. Harry had returned to the city completely unaware of what was going on. What if something had happened to him?

“What kind of raid?” he asked desperately. “What were they going after?”

Zayn looked at his friend a little suspiciously. “I don’t know. But whatever it was, they didn’t do what he wanted and that explains the freaking hissy fit he’s having now. I wouldn’t want to be one of the poor bastards that had to come back and tell him they failed. Why does it matter anyway?”

Louis’ heart was pounding in his chest and he felt like he was struggling to breathe. It all seemed like far too much of a coincidence that after he had visited the Master and started asking questions, suddenly an unscheduled raid was launched. They rarely, if ever, actually attacked the enemy city in such a way; they usually attacked from a distance and battles were fought on the plains.

What if his visit had somehow sparked this attack? What if he had unintentionally put Harry in danger? The only comfort he had was knowing that the Master’s plan had failed.

Zayn was watching Louis in concern. His friend had gone terribly pale and his eyes seemed to have glazed over. “Lou? What’s wrong? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Louis blinked quickly before focusing his attention on Zayn. “I don’t feel too good. I think I’ll go and get some fresh air.”

Zayn raised his eyebrow. “Do you want me to come with you? I’m worried about you.”

Louis shook his head quickly. “No, no. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry Zayn. I just…I have to go.”

He turned around quickly and headed straight back out of the door he had only stepped through minutes before. He wasn’t going to get fresh air; he was going to try to get answers.

Louis arrived outside a familiar door and knocked loudly. He heard a well-known voice call out that he should enter and he pushed the door open. He stepped in and let the door close behind him.

Liam was sitting in a large chair beside the window. He didn’t turn his face towards his visitor, just moved his eyes to look at Louis standing just inside the door.

“Is everything alright Louis?”

“No…not really…I want to know why the Master sent a raid to the city today.”

Liam still didn’t turn to look at Louis but his eyes flickered as he spoke. “I can’t talk to you about that Louis.”

“What?! Why not? Since when have you kept things from me?” Louis exploded. His concern about Harry was taking over his self-control.

Liam looked down sadly. ‘ _Since the day you arrived,’_ he thought to himself. He didn’t voice his thoughts though as he replied. “There’s nothing I can tell you. I am sworn to keep this secret.”

“What’s going on Li? This isn’t you. You won’t even look at me,” Louis pleaded.

Still Liam didn’t turn to face him, but Louis had had enough. He moved quickly towards his friend in order to look him straight in the eye, but when he finally stood before Liam, his eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath.

“ _Fuck_ Li. What _happened_ to you?” Louis could hardly believe the angry cuts that marred Liam’s cheek. What was going on?

Liam shook his head, “Nothing. It’s nothing Louis.”

“ _Nothing_?” Louis repeated loudly. “That’s not ‘nothing’. Who did that to you?”

Liam didn’t reply but Louis had a terrible feeling that he already knew the truth.

“It was the Master, wasn’t it?”

No words left Liam’s mouth but his face confirmed Louis’ theory.

“ _Why_? What did you do that deserved that?” Louis pointed at Liam’s face.

Liam seemed to find his voice finally, “I kept things from him. He called me to see him today. He found out that I hadn’t told him things that he wanted to know.”

Everything seemed to click into place in Louis’ head and the understanding felt like a punch to the stomach.

“It was about me,” it was a statement, not a question. “You kept things hidden about me and he found out because I went to see him.”

A slow nod of the head was the only confirmation that Louis received.

“Shit, I’m so sorry Li,” Louis said quietly.

This seemed to motivate Liam’s voice. “Don’t you apologise to me Louis! This is all _my_ fault. If I had been honest with you from the start we wouldn’t be in this mess. _You_ wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s _me_ that owes _you_ an apology. I am truly sorry.”

Louis was just about to ask Liam exactly what he meant, when loud voices could be heard shouting outside the room about an imminent attack and enemy angels approaching. He looked at Liam in panic before he ran towards the door. Something told him he had to get up onto the city ramparts.

***

Harry didn’t know how long he had been sitting holding onto Nick’s hand. He didn’t realise anything until he heard the door open quietly behind him. He didn’t turn round but he was soon joined by Niall standing beside him. Both of them looked at the peaceful body of their beloved mentor in silence for a while.

“I should have been here,” Harry whispered.

Niall placed his hand on his shoulder, “It wouldn’t have changed anything Haz. Don’t blame yourself.”

But Harry wanted to blame himself. He had been laughing and kissing Louis while Nick was dying. He couldn’t sit there anymore. He stood up abruptly.

“Harry?” Niall asked sounding concerned.

Harry looked at him and saw the terrible pain in his friend’s eyes. He grabbed Niall and pulled him into a tight hug. They held onto each other for a while before Harry pulled away.

“I have to do something.” He didn’t know what he had to do, he just had to get away from the pain.

Looking at Nick sadly once more, he turned and left the room quickly.

Harry stalked down the stairs, furiously wiping at his eyes. When he reached the courtyard, he saw a group of armoured soldiers being assembled. He heard one of the senior angels, Ed, giving orders, shouting about how their enemies would pay for the death and destruction they had caused. _This_ was what Harry had to do.

He ran towards Ed and announced himself, “I’m ready to go.”

“Are you sure Harry?” Ed asked him. “We heard about Nick, I’m so sorry.”

Harry’s face hardened, “That just makes me all the more keen to go.”

Ed seemed to assess him quickly then nodded once, “Get your armour. We leave in five minutes.”

A small grateful smile appeared fleetingly on Harry’s face, before he dashed away to gather his armour and weapons.

Not much later Harry was soaring away from Heaven with a group of around twenty other angels. They were prepared for a fight, they wanted vengeance against those who had harmed their loved ones and invaded their home.

However, Harry was arguing with himself as he flew. Half of his mind was screaming at him that he shouldn’t be there. _‘You should be at home with Niall, mourning for Nick. He wouldn’t want you doing this, he always hated it when you were involved in the fighting._ ’

The other half shouted back, _‘I’m doing this for him! They took him away from us, now they have to pay for it. Nick wouldn’t want me sitting around moping_.’

The further he travelled towards his destination the quieter the first voice became; it was a losing battle, Harry had made up his mind. At least he thought he had, until the first half of his mind came up with a final way of trying to persuade him to turn back. The image of Louis’ smiling face flashed across his mind and Harry actually faltered. What would Louis think about this? What would happen if he was involved in the fighting when they arrived? What if Louis was hurt or worse? He couldn’t bear that and he shook his head to try to rid himself of the awful prospect.

The suddenly swirling thoughts seemed to confuse Harry as he flew and he felt disorientated. His desire to see Louis and be comforted by him was overwhelming.

Ed, the leader of the group, seemed to have noticed Harry’s odd behaviour and he called out to him in warning. It was too late, they were seconds away from the enemy walls and Harry was completely unprepared for the fight. He never even saw the barrage of arrows whistling through the air.

***

Louis couldn’t remember a time when he had moved so quickly. His desperation to reach the city wall seemed to motivate him to keep moving at a lightning quick speed. He knew that he would have to ask Liam further questions at some stage – what had he been keeping from Louis for all this time? Right now though, all that mattered was the burning desire to get to the ramparts. Louis knew that the only thing that could be pulling him in that direction so forcefully was something to do with Harry. That was a thought that filled him with dread. As much as he longed to see Harry, the idea of him being anywhere nearby sent a chill of fear through his entire being.

Louis leapt up the stone steps that led to the city walls, he was gasping for breath but he didn’t have time to recover as he scanned the area quickly. Immediately he saw the line of archers standing at the edge of the ramparts, bows held in readiness. Louis followed the direction of their gaze and saw a group of angels flying quickly towards the city. It only took a moment for Louis’ eyes to locate the reason for his concern. Amongst the group was an angel whose wings were glistening beautifully even in the fading light.

“Harry…” the name slipped past Louis’ lips in a whisper. He felt like the air had been stolen from his lungs as he watched the attacking group fly closer with every second. Somehow he managed to tear his eyes away from Harry for a moment to see the archers on the wall taking aim.

With his heart hammering in his chest, Louis began to run along the wall towards the archers. All he knew was that he had to try to do something to protect Harry regardless of what might happen to him afterwards.

Even as he ran, he knew he wasn’t going to make it in time. He heard a loud command to ‘fire!’ and a scream was ripped from his body. “No! Stop!”

But it was drowned out by the sound of arrows whipping through the air.

Louis slammed to a halt and spun himself to the side to find Harry again. He saw him suspended in the sky for a moment, as perfect as always, before his wings seemed to lose their strength and his body suddenly plummeted to the ground.

Everything around Louis seemed to tilt and become a blur. He grabbed hold of the edge of the wall to support himself and lean over to try to find Harry; his eyes roamed desperately but he couldn’t see him anywhere.

There was a deafening roaring in Louis’ ears and he struggled to drag air into his lungs. The hollow feeling he had always experienced each time he had parted ways with Harry had been replaced by a terrible burning sensation in his chest. He turned away from the ledge he had been leaning on; he couldn’t bear to scour the ground for Harry any more. He swayed slightly where he was before he felt his legs buckle underneath him. He thudded onto the cold stone without even trying to break his fall.

As he lay on the ground he managed a pained gasp of “Harry…” before his eyes rolled back in his head and he was grateful for the dark unfeeling bliss of unconsciousness.

***

When Louis’ eyes next opened, he knew that he was back in his room. It wasn’t one of those moments when he felt confused about what had happened. It didn’t take him moments of racking his brain to remember. He knew immediately; the lingering burning sensation in his chest was enough of a reminder. All he could think of was Harry and he sat up immediately on his bed, although he regretted it momentarily when his head spun sickeningly.

“You’re awake,” he heard from nearby and his eyes turned in that direction.

Zayn was standing looking at him from beside the window, “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

Louis’ eyes locked with his friend’s and he could tell that Zayn was frustrated. He still couldn’t face the prospect of telling the truth and at that moment the idea of even talking about Harry seemed painful. Instead he lowered his eyes and dodged the question.

“How did I get back here? The last thing I remember is being on the wall.”

Zayn blew out an annoyed breath and spoke bluntly. “You passed out. Li saw you and brought you back here. And that’s another thing I want to know: what’s happened to _him_? He looks like he’s been mauled.”

Louis shook his head, before answering. “I don’t know what to tell you Zayn. I can’t talk about it now, I’ve got to go.”

He was desperate to get back to the city wall to try to find any sign of Harry. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and began to make his way towards the door of the bedroom.

Just as Louis neared the door, Zayn moved quickly and stood blocking his path. His dark eyes were blazing and his face was set into a determined expression.

“I’ve had enough of this Louis. It’s time you started talking to me and telling me the truth. You’ve been acting oddly for a while now; you were hardly speaking for a while, you disappear for hours at a time, you don’t have any explanation for where you’ve been, and now you’ve passed out during an enemy attack. And it’s not like you should have even been up there in the first place! Our squad hadn’t been summoned so you shouldn’t have been anywhere near. All this weird stuff and now something’s happened to Liam too and he won’t talk to me about it either. I need to know what’s going on. You can trust me Louis.”

For a moment Louis thought that he should just tell Zayn everything; he really wanted to share everything that had been going on with his best friend and he knew he could trust Zayn completely. Just as the words were about to tumble out of his mouth, a warning voice shouted inside his head. It screamed at Louis that it was far too dangerous to confide in Zayn and that telling him would only put him in danger.

“I’m sorry Zayn. I know you must wonder what is going on and I understand that you feel like I’ve been distant but I _do_ trust you. I trust you with my life but this is one thing that I can’t tell you. You have to believe me that I really want to talk to you about it but I’m so worried that if I do I’ll be putting you in a dangerous position. One day, hopefully soon, I’ll tell you everything and you’ll understand.”

Zayn raised his eyebrows at his friend and Louis knew that he hadn’t won the fight yet.

“Lou, you and I spent our entire childhoods getting into trouble. I was with you for every one of your stupid and risky plans and schemes. If you think I’m worried about getting into a ‘dangerous position’ you needn’t let that stop you telling me. I’ll stand by you whatever, I might even be able to help,” Zayn told him sincerely.

Louis smiled at the commitment of his friend but still wasn’t willing to put him into unnecessary danger. He knew that there was much more going on than even he was aware of. All he knew was that the Master wasn’t telling him the truth, Liam had been punished because he hadn’t told the Master things about Louis and completely out of the blue an attack had been launched on the city of Heaven. Everything was all too much of a coincidence and it seemed that all the people involved were in a hazardous situation – Louis wasn’t willing to add Zayn to the list of people that stood to get hurt. “I know I can trust you Zayn, but you have to trust me too. I _can’t_ tell you what’s going on.”

Zayn’s shoulders slumped in defeat; he knew that he wasn’t going to get anything from his stubborn friend.

“Fine,” he said somewhat sulkily, “I give up. I just hope you’re not getting yourself into something that’s more than you can handle. You know where I’ll be if you do need me.”

Louis considered Zayn’s words. He didn’t really know what he was getting himself into, but it seemed quite likely that it was something far bigger than he originally thought.

This had all started so well, just being happy to have met Harry and being able to spend time with him. Now things were becoming frighteningly complicated and there was much more going on than he thought possible.

He smiled weakly at his friend before patting him on the arm. Zayn shuffled out of the way and let him past. Louis couldn’t afford to wait any longer, he rushed out of the door and straight back to the place he had been when he had lost consciousness.   

When Louis reached the city wall, he leapt up the steps just as he had done earlier. He leant over the edge of the ramparts to scan the ground. His mind and his heart were screaming, desperate to locate Harry but also fearing that he would see his body crumpled on the ground. His eyes roamed over the area. There were bodies of a few fallen angels below but as Louis looked at each of them, none of their wings were glistening. None of them were Harry. Louis’s heart surged in his chest but then plummeted back down almost painfully as he immediately wondered where Harry could be.

He had seen Harry hit and had watched his body fall lifelessly to the ground, so where was he now? With a confusing sense of relief yet concern, Louis realised that Harry must have been injured, but at least he wasn’t dead. Maybe he had managed to recover after he had fallen and had been able to escape back to Heaven. Louis had to hope that was what had happened, but after seeing Harry fall to the ground he could hardly believe that that was possible.

There was another situation that could have occurred and the thought of it filled Louis with apprehension. Guards would have been sent out after the attack to check on the enemy angels that had been hit. The bodies of any that were dead would be dealt with later but if any were merely injured they would be taken as prisoners and thrown into the dungeons to await questioning, torture and inevitably death. Louis swallowed thickly at the thought and turned away from scene below. He had to check if Harry had been taken prisoner; he knew what he would do if he had been.

It didn’t take long before Louis found himself silently making his way through underground tunnels towards the dungeons. He knew the place so well, even though it had been a long time since he and Zayn had been dragged down there as punishment when they were younger.

It seemed ironic that his nerves were more frayed on this occasion than they had ever been when he had been taken down there before.

The corridors were quiet, lit by burning torches attached to the walls every few feet along, and now Louis understood why he should have felt more fear as a child. He and Zayn were the lucky ones, they had merely been shoved into a cell for a night or two to be taught a lesson. After a while they were always led back out into the fresh air and the daylight. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the last place that so many of their enemies ever saw.

He began to wonder how many angels that had ‘disappointed’ the Master had been dragged through the tunnels knowing that they would never see the light of another day. He wondered how any angel could be so cruel, then remembered that the Master was hardly an angel anymore. He was a monster who Louis was beginning to hate; a monster who was keeping things from Louis which only made him hate him all the more. He shook the thoughts of the Master from his head as he reached the end of the tunnel and it opened up into a large cavern.

All around the edge were barred cells, which appeared to all be empty. Walking further towards the cells, Louis wondered whether it was a good thing that Harry wasn’t there or not. Part of him didn’t want Harry anywhere near this terrible place, but part of him longed to see Harry, just to know that he was still alive. If he wasn’t here, what had happened to him? He didn’t think he could wait until their next meeting to know if he was alright. The waiting would drive him insane.

Louis peered into each cell as he walked past them all until he reached the one he had become so familiar with in his youth and he froze. The light from the torches in the cavern was glinting off shimmering ivory wings wrapped around a body in the corner.

“Harry!” he hissed in shock and concern.

The huddled figure moved sharply and green eyes focused on the angel standing outside the cell. Harry scrambled forwards instantly and wrapped his right hand around one of the bars.

“Louis, I never thought I was going to see you again.”

Louis placed his own hand over Harry’s that was holding the bar so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. “And I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.

Harry looked at him questioningly and Louis explained quickly. “I saw you fall. I was on the wall, I tried to stop them firing at you but I was too late. It was awful, I thought…I thought…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence; instead his eyes conveyed the anguish he had felt.

When he finally managed to tear his eyes away from Harry’s, he immediately noticed the large blood-stain on Harry’s shirt at his left shoulder.

“You’re hurt!” he cried, startling Harry somewhat with his outburst.

“It’ll heal,” Harry replied wistfully. “I was lucky to escape with only this. I’m sorry Louis, I never should have joined the attack. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Then why did you?” Louis asked him, he felt a little angry that Harry had done something so foolish and dangerous.

Harry seemed to sense Louis’ feelings and he drew his hand away from the bar. He stepped back a few paces and stared at him intently. “Because _your_ people attacked mine. They killed innocent angels for no reason. I was blinded by grief and had to do something to relieve the pain.”

“So you nearly get yourself killed by joining some stupid suicide mission. How was that going to help?” Louis hissed in annoyance. “And didn’t you think what might happen if you got here and ended up bumping into me? I think the secret might be out then! Your friends might be willing to accept it but don’t expect that anyone here will.”

Both of them stared at one another stubbornly through the bars. The relief of finally seeing each other and knowing that the other was alright seemed to have overwhelmed them both and become distorted into anger and hurt. Harry needed someone to blame for Nick’s death and Louis wanted to reprimand Harry for putting himself in such a perilous situation.

“Nick did accept it,” Harry finally broke the silence. “He said he wished he’d had chance to meet you.”

Louis’ face scrunched up in confusion and he was about to ask what that meant, when everything suddenly made sense to him. Harry’s actions had been driven by grief. “What happened?” he asked much more softly than before.

Harry turned away and his shoulders slumped. “They killed him. I sat talking to him until he died. He’s gone.”

Louis felt like his own heart was shattering upon hearing Harry sound so broken. He spun round and raced to the other side of the chamber. All the time he had spent in these cells meant he knew the place inside out, including where the keys for the cells were hung. Within seconds he had pulled the barred door open, walked up behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against Harry’s ear.

Harry’s arm came up to lie on top of Louis’ own and they stood in silence for a long time.

It was Louis that broke the moment of calm. “We have to get out of here. They’ll be coming for you soon.”

Harry turned around in Louis’ arms and looked him steadily in the eye. “ _We_ have to get out of here?”

Louis returned the look. “I’m coming with you. I can’t bear being apart from you anymore. When I saw you fall earlier… it was terrible. I _never_ want to be apart from you.”

Harry smiled at him beautifully, “Good, because I won’t leave here without you.” Then he paused for a moment before continuing, “When we get away from here, I have so much I need to tell you, so much that you need to understand.”

Louis kissed him quickly. “You’ll have all the time in the world to explain when we’re far away from here.” Then he grabbed hold of his hand and led him towards the tunnel leading out of the cavern.

As they reached the entrance of the tunnel their escape was immediately halted.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Harry’s sword and weapons had been taken from him when he was brought into the cells and now his eyes were wide as he looked at the angel blocking their path with his sword pointing at them. However, Louis’s shoulders just sagged as he looked at the face he recognised so well.

“I asked you what you think you’re doing Louis? Is this the secret you’ve been keeping from me – that you’re smuggling prisoners out of the cells?”

“No Zayn, you don’t understand,” Louis tried to explain, but he was cut off.

“Ha! You’re right there, I _don’t_ understand because _you_ wouldn’t tell me. I’d had enough so I followed you and this is it? You’re a traitor?” Zayn was shaking his head as though he didn’t believe it himself.

“I’m not the traitor!” Louis roared at his friend. “It’s him up there sitting on his throne that’s been lying all this time. The Master has been lying to me my whole life and I’ve had enough. I’m not smuggling prisoners out of the cells. I’m helping Harry escape and I’m going with him.”

The hand holding Zayn’s sword actually lowered a little at Louis’ words. His eyes were slightly wider as he took a deep breath. “Harry?” he whispered. “As in…from your dream?”

Louis nodded quickly, “Yes. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before but now do you see why? He’s from the city of Heaven.”

“But how did you…when did…I still don’t understand,” Zayn stumbled over his words in his shock.

“We met on the battlefield, the day I got injured. Harry saved my life. I knew it was him, it was so much like my dream,” Louis explained and his hand tightened around Harry’s.

Zayn had completely lowered his sword and was now looking Harry up and down as though he was trying to figure something out. After a moment he looked back at his friend. “And you’re going with him?”

Louis looked at Zayn sadly. “I’m sorry Zayn. I have to, I _can’t_ be without him anymore.”

After a moment Zayn smiled weakly at his friend. “I understand. I’m glad I finally do,” he joked but the sorrow was clear in his eyes.

Suddenly a third voice joined the conversation for the first time since Zayn had appeared. “Come with us Zayn. You’re Louis’ best friend, you should come too.”

Louis turned and looked at Harry so fondly as Zayn replied, “Thank you Harry. I appreciate the offer but someone needs to cover for Louis when they start asking questions. It’ll buy you some time to get to safety if I’m here. It means a lot that you’d offer though.”

Louis smiled at his friend gratefully. “Thank you Zayn, I won’t forget this.”

“You better not,” Zayn replied. “Now get going before someone who likes you less comes down here.”

He walked forward and pulled Louis into a tight embrace quickly. “I’ll see you soon.”

Louis patted him on the back, “Of course.”

They parted but didn’t linger for any longer, it was too hard.

“Goodbye Zayn, thank you for doing this,” Harry called as Louis continued to lead him away.

Zayn just raised his hand as he watched them disappear along the corridor.

***

Louis couldn’t help the tingling sensation of dread that passed through him as he entered the city of Heaven. Regardless of the current situation, he was still an enemy and he felt like he would be set upon at any moment. Harry quickly led him up flights of stairs and along corridors until they arrived outside a door. They slipped inside quickly, grateful for not having been stopped by anyone. Harry was also relieved to find that Niall was not in the room. As much as he loved his friend, he didn’t feel up to explaining why he had brought an ‘enemy’ angel into their bedroom right now.

Louis’ eyes roamed around the room taking in as much detail as possible. This all seemed so surreal that he hoped that the more he saw, the more it might make it a reality. His eyes only focused back on Harry when he heard a hiss of pain come from nearby. He turned and saw that Harry had shed his filthy, blood-stained shirt and was now poking at the angry wound on his shoulder with a wet cloth.

“Here,” he said as he walked towards Harry. “Let me do it.”

Harry handed him the cloth slightly hesitantly and Louis set about carefully cleaning the injury.

It didn’t take long before the wound was cleaned and dressed and Harry was left admiring Louis’ handiwork. He lifted his right hand and poked at the bandage gingerly, before Louis swatted his hand away. “Don’t touch it. It’s taken me long enough to tidy you up without you messing it up again straight away.”

Harry smiled at Louis and laughed quietly. “I didn’t know you were such a good nurse.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Harry suddenly looked serious, “Louis, there are things that I need to tell you. Things that I only found out myself after we were attacked. We’ve both been lied to for a long time.”

Louis nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m ready to hear the truth.”

Harry took a deep breath and sat on the edge of his bed and beckoned for Louis to do the same. He then retold everything that Nick had said to him when he had been dying. Louis remained very quiet as he listened, but his eyes widened the more he heard and his mouth opened and closed several times as if he was about to speak. When Harry had explained it all he added, “I think Nick was trying to protect me, but I don’t think the elders care. I don’t trust them as much as you don’t trust the Master.”

Louis was looking at Harry with an unreadable expression on his face. It took a long while before he was able to form any words and then he stood quickly and began pacing in front of Harry as he spoke.

“I can hardly believe this. I knew that there was something drawing us together but this is crazy. I can’t believe that they would go to such a lot of effort to keep us apart. I can’t believe that we’ve been lied to so much. Agh, I hate the whole lot of them for doing this to us. If we’d known the truth all along…”

Harry knew what Louis was thinking because he had been thinking the same.

“At least, we’ve found each other now,” Louis added. “I wouldn’t change that.” He sat back down on the bed beside Harry. After a moment he asked, “What do we do now though? What about the prophecy?”

Harry looked deep into Louis’ eyes, “I don’t give a shit about some stupid prophecy. I’m not letting that control my life. All that matters to me is being with you. Why should we be used liked weapons for either side?”

Louis smiled at him in relief, “That’s exactly what I hoped you’d say.”

They just looked at each other for a long time, satisfied in the knowledge that they were there together.

The moment was broken as the bedroom door flew open.

“They were right – you _are_ back!” Niall shouted excitedly across the room.

Harry quickly stood from his position sitting on the bed and walked towards his friend.

“Ed told me you fell; I thought you were dead,” Niall continued, “I don’t know what I’d have done if I’d have lost you as well,” he said as he pulled Harry into a tight hug.

Harry returned the embrace, “I _was_ taken prisoner but I escaped.”

Niall pulled back from the hug to look at him, then he tilted his head to the side and looked at the stranger sitting on Harry’s bed as though he had only just noticed that he was there.

“You’re…new,” he said as he looked him up and down.

Louis rose to his feet as Harry began to explain, “Niall, this is Louis. He was the one who helped me escape.”

Niall had moved and was now standing looking between the two angels in confusion, “You’re from Hell though right, ‘cause I don’t know you, so why would you help him?”

Harry knew that he had to explain everything to Niall because there was no other way he would understand. “Ni, Louis isn’t just some enemy angel that’s just helped me for no reason. We’ve known each other for a while…we’ve been meeting in secret. He was the one I saw across the plain that day when I passed out. We’ve been drawn together. He’s really important to me…” he was struggling to find the right words to explain just how he felt and convey the special bond he had with Louis, “I belong with him.”

Niall’s left eyebrow arched as he absorbed the words that his friend had said. Then he chuckled while shaking his head, “Nick made some cryptic remarks about you needing to find someone and fulfil your destiny after he was injured. I didn’t understand, it all seemed so bizarre and mysterious and I thought it was because he was hurt, but this must be what he was talking about. Although I never thought you’d be so quick to act on it. Did Nick know about this?” he asked as he waved his hand between the two of them.

Harry smiled slightly and nodded, “I told him that I’d met Louis before he died. He was really pleased for us.”

“He always was far too easy going,” Niall smiled fondly as he thought about their guardian. “Well then, Louis, I’m Niall, I’d better introduce myself seeing as Haz’s forgotten that part. Nice to meet you I guess,” he said as he stuck out his hand.

Louis shook the offered hand and smiled at him, a little startled by how easily this angel seemed to have accepted things but also incredibly grateful for it. He supposed he should have expected Niall not to be bothered after everything that Harry had told him about his carefree friend. 

“Wait a minute,” Harry interrupted. “How did you know I was here? You said something about someone saying I was back.”

“Oh yeah, some of the guards on the wall saw you and sent a message. The news travelled pretty quick, as you can imagine. I suppose the elders will be wanting to grill you about what happened. I wish I could see their faces when you take Louis to meet them,” Niall grinned cheekily.

Shocked and smug were the two words that Harry thought of when he imagined the reaction of the elders to the news that Louis was there. They would probably love it – having the two ‘weapons’ reunited ready to conquer their enemies. Well they would get a surprise when they found out that neither Louis nor Harry were willing to be used as pawns in the fighting.

“We might as well go to them now, no point delaying the inevitable,” Harry told Louis. “But I don’t trust them, so don’t be fooled by any of their graceful ways.”

***

Before long, they were standing outside the hall of the elders. Harry’s face was determined as he squeezed Louis’ hand tightly, “This should be interesting.”

They knocked and entered the chamber, immediately being welcomed by a loud, clear voice.

“Ah Harry, how wonderful to see you returned in one piece. We were incredibly worried when we found that you had joined that mission without seeking our consent.”

It was meant to be a reprimand but Harry was beyond the point of caring what these stuffy old angels thought.

“As you can see, I am perfectly well and I would’ve thought that you would be grateful for soldiers that act to protect this city.”

There was no direct response to his comment, instead a question was asked. “And who is this you bring into our hall?”

Harry took a deep breath and felt Louis become more tense at his side.

“I’m not surprised that you don’t recognise him after all this time. It’s been many years since he was last here with me…this is Louis.”

The composed atmosphere in the room immediately spiralled into a whirl of noise as voices from all over the hall rose up in shock. Harry simply turned to look at Louis beside him and smiled warmly. He wanted this to be over so he could be alone with him again. The multitude of voices were eventually quieted and an angel spoke to them again, although he sounded very unsure of his own voice.

“You are telling us that this is the angel Louis?”

“That’s what I’m telling you, and before you start trying to tell me anymore stories, I know the truth. Nick told me everything - about Louis, about the prophecy, everything.”

There were more murmurings throughout the assembled angels and Harry was glad to be causing them such discomfort.

“Nicholas was trusted with that information. It is a pity that he has broken his vow to keep it secret.”

“ _Nick,”_ Harry emphasised his guardian’s nickname, “was the only one here who told me the truth. You have kept things from me that might have changed my life completely, they might have changed Louis’ too. You had no right.”

“We acted to protect all of the angels in this city,” a stern voice told him, “and you should remember who you are speaking to.”

Harry laughed bitterly and shook his head but didn’t speak again. He knew that he was never going to get an apology, but he was curious as to what the elders would say next.

“Now that you are reunited and both here, plans can be made for you to be part of an attack on the city of Hell. The prophecy can be fulfilled.”

Harry could hardly believe the nerve of the elders. He had made it obvious that he was angry with them and still they expected the two of them to bow to their orders. There was no way he was going to be doing what they told him to. He was about to speak his mind and tell them where to stick their prophecy when another voice beat him to it.

“Harry and I are not interested in fulfilling any prophecy. We just want to be able to live our lives together and be left alone,” Louis told the assembled angels simply.

“We have waited a long time to have the two of you here. It is written that…”

“I’m not interested in what is written or what somebody predicted _might_ happen,” Louis interrupted. “If you aren’t willing to let us live here peacefully we can always go back to the city on the border of Hell and live there. I’m sure they would welcome us.”

A hiss of anger and panic rushed through the elderly angels.

Harry tried to hide the smirk that pulled at his lips. He glanced at Louis and felt such a surge of happiness that he nearly burst out laughing. Seeing Louis wind the elders up so thoroughly was amazing. Of course, he knew that it was a bluff – they could never go back to Hell and keep their lives – but the elders clearly didn’t know that by the concerned faces he saw as he looked around.

A rather annoyed looking angel stood up abruptly. “As you wish. You may live here in peace. But do not forget that the prophecy exists and you will be called upon to fulfil it at some point in the future.”

Both Harry and Louis smiled somewhat sarcastically, told the angels how ‘grateful’ they were and left the room. As they walked away from the hall they could hear the elders debating angrily, but they didn’t care. All that mattered now was each other.          

***

The two angels made their way back to Harry’s room and were pleased to find that it was empty again. Niall had obviously gone off to find something to occupy himself and Harry was grateful for the chance to be alone with Louis. He closed the door behind them and when he turned around he was immediately pulled into a searing kiss. The pure passion and intensity of it stole his breath and sent his thoughts whirling.

When Louis eventually leaned back he smiled almost apologetically. “Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. I’ve wanted to do that since we got here but I’ve not had the opportunity.”

Harry chuckled lightly. “You mean we’ve not been _given_ the opportunity. I promise, no more interruptions. I’m all yours now.”

The words hung in the air for a long time. Whether Harry had intended them to be so loaded was unclear but now there was only one thing rushing through Louis’ mind. He grabbed hold of Harry’s wrists and pulled him forwards to kiss him again. Their lips were needy and demanding. They both felt a consuming lust growing between them, but not only that, something much more powerful was also present.

Harry managed to push Louis backwards towards his bed, still kissing him as they moved. The kiss only broke for a moment as Louis toppled backwards onto the bed and Harry straddled his legs. Again Harry leaned in for a kiss and his tongue pushed against Louis’, vying for dominance until Louis twisted his fingers in his hair and tugged. Harry moaned lowly, as pain and pleasure mingled spectacularly and the sensation shot straight to his groin. He rubbed against Louis, writhing and driving them both wild.

Curious fingertips began to roam beneath clothing and it didn’t take long before skin was exposed. Louis watched as Harry began to explore every curve, every hard line of his torso with gentle fingers. His head pressed back against the bed, exposing his throat, as the other angel began to kiss every bit of him with feather-light touches of his lips.

Louis’ fingers stroked across Harry’s shoulders and then down the top of his spine before reaching the point of where his wings were joined to his back. He didn’t hesitate before firmly smoothing his fingers along the strong ‘arm’ of Harry’s right wing. Harry’s whole body shuddered as he pulled his lips away from Louis’ skin and drew in a sharp gasp of pleasure. When his eyes focused on Louis’, they were darkened with lust. Louis ran his hand firmly along Harry’s wing again causing Harry to moan deeply before he surged forward and attached his lips to Louis’ neck again.

This was so much more than just want, this was a desperate need. In that moment nothing else mattered, no-one else existed. They only needed each other.

As Harry’s lips caressed Louis’ throat, Louis knew that he had to voice how he felt. He gently stroked his hand through Harry’s hair causing him to cease his actions and look at Louis questioningly.

Louis took a deep breath but he wasn’t nervous about saying what he was about to; he just wanted it to be perfect. “Harry…you’ve completed my life. I always knew that there was something missing but I didn’t know what. Now I know that it was you… I love you.”

Harry’s eyes glistened just like his wings in the candle-lit room. For a long moment he didn’t speak as he delighted in the words he had just heard. He reached out his hand and touched the side of Louis’ face gently. “I love you too. You are my soul mate and I never want to be apart from you for the rest of my life.”

Louis leaned up and captured his lips once more. They kissed deeply and slowly. There was no need to rush. They were lost entirely, body and soul, in each other’s embrace.

***

That night the two angels lay sleeping side-by-side for the first time. They were both lost in an exhausted yet content slumber, their bodies fitting together perfectly as though they had been sleeping this way for years. Nothing would have disturbed them if it hadn’t been for a terrible nightmare that Louis had slipped into.

_Louis crept along the dark tunnel towards the dungeon. His heart was racing as he neared the chamber. Why was he back here? He had helped Harry to escape; surely he hadn’t been captured again. The thought was almost too horrible but he moved on – silent and determined._

_As he reached the mouth of the tunnel he heard a terrible, pained scream followed by wicked laughter. He grabbed for the sword he always carried but his hand closed around nothing; it wasn’t there. He was unarmed and unable to do anything._

_“You will tell us where they are,” a voice commanded._

_There was no response, until a crack ripped through the air followed by another awful scream._

_“You will tell us where they are,” the voice repeated._

_A weak, broken voice replied this time. “I would rather die.”_

_Louis knew that voice. At least he recognised some part of it._

_“You will,” the first voice mocked, “But you will suffer first.”_

_More screaming filled the air and Louis covered his ears to block out the sound. He was sweating with the effort of trying to stop himself from being sick. He leant back against the wall and slid down it. His best friend was being tortured because of him and he couldn’t do anything._

_The screams continued, echoing around the chamber and into the tunnel, but Louis could do nothing. He clamped his hands tighter over his ears but he couldn’t block out the sound. After a while of hearing the terrible noise, he couldn’t take it anymore; he leapt up and ran into the chamber screaming himself._

“Zayn!” he shouted as he sat upright in the bed. He was tangled in the sheets and covered in sweat.

Harry was immediately beside him trying to calm him. “Lou? It’s alright, you’re here with me. Come on, calm down, breathe.”

Louis was in a complete state as he tried to gulp air into his lungs, he couldn’t seem to form words.

“It was just a dream,” Harry tried to reassure him as he gently rubbed his back.

Louis finally found his voice, “No, no it wasn’t. It was so real – it must be true. They have Zayn. They’re torturing him to make him tell them what happened to us. They’re going to kill him.”

“Are you sure it was real?” Harry didn’t sound convinced.

“I dreamt about meeting you!” Louis told him desperately. “I’ve dreamt about things happening before. When my dreams are as vivid as that they’re nearly always portraying something real.”

Harry’s face was grave. “Then what do we do?”

Louis was already getting out of the bed and looking for his clothes. “I’m going back. I have to get him out of there.”

Harry leapt up immediately. “Well I’m coming too then.”

Louis shook his head. “I can’t put you in danger like that,” he said as he looked down to find his sword.

He was forced to look up when Harry grabbed his arm. “I told you I don’t want to be apart from you and I meant it. _I’m coming with you_.”

The tone of his voice and the passion burning in his eyes told Louis that there would be no further discussion. He nodded once at Harry, then pulled him close for a desperate kiss. Neither of them could believe that they were willingly going back to the place that they had only just escaped from, but they knew that they had to do it. Whatever fate held in store for them, it didn’t matter as long as they could face it together.

***

Louis and Harry were hardly out of the bedroom door before their plan was stalled. The next door along the corridor opened flooding the dark hallway with candle-light.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” a figure silhouetted in the doorway asked. “You aren’t just going to disappear in the middle of the night without telling me, are you?”

Both Harry and Louis had been caught by surprise by the sudden interruption, but Harry recovered himself quickly. “Niall,” he hissed quietly, “What are you doing in Nick’s room?”

“I was giving you two some ‘ _space_ ’,” he actually made the air-quotes as he spoke, “And anyway, I asked a question first – where are you going?”

Harry sighed as he rolled his eyes at his friend. “Don’t worry, we’re not running away or anything like that. We’re going to rescue Louis’ friend Zayn. He’s been taken prisoner and he’s being tortured. It’s all because of us, we have to go and get him.”

Niall’s eyebrows raised as he listened to Harry speak, then he began to talk quickly. “So, your plan is to just fly into the city of Hell, walk down to the cells, release this Zayn, then fly out with him, all without being noticed.”

His hands had been flailing around wildly as he spoke, then he suddenly became very still.

Louis was about to protest that they didn’t have choice, when Niall’s face cracked into a wide grin. “Well I’m coming with you of course,” he told them brightly.

Immediately, Harry shook his head, “No way Ni. We can’t expect you to put yourself in danger like that.”

“ _You_ aren’t expecting me to. _I’m_ telling you, I’m coming with you. Before he died, Nick told me to look out for you. He said that we needed to take care of each other and I’m not planning on letting him down,” Niall said seriously. He saw the look of gratitude on Harry’s face and knew that there would be no more argument on the subject so he decided to add, “Besides, someone needs to be there to make sure you can still function if you go all gooey-eyed over Louis in the middle of a battle again.”

Harry’s eyes widened and he blushed, before he punched Niall on the arm. Chuckling to himself and rubbing his arm, Niall walked past them in the corridor to find his armour and weapons from the bedroom he shared with Harry.

As Harry looked up he saw that Louis was smiling slightly.

“What?” he asked, wondering if Louis was laughing at him too.

“Nothing, just thinking what a loyal friend you have there,” Louis replied.

“Yes he is. I’m very lucky,” Harry said as he looked over his shoulder. “So are you – you have someone just the same in Zayn.”

Louis hung his head and sighed deeply. “It’s being loyal to me that has got him into this trouble. I’m a terrible friend to him; it’s all my fault.”

Harry reached out and grabbed his hand. “He’s doing this to protect you. He knows what he’s doing. It’s your loyalty to him that is making you go back. You’re the best friend he could have.”

There was no time for Louis to respond as Niall reappeared in the corridor armed for a battle.

“Are we ready?” he asked brightly.

Louis could hardly believe that someone could be so chirpy before going off to such a dangerous situation, but Harry knew that was just how his friend was, it took a lot to dampen Niall’s spirit.

***

Leaving the citadel had been easy enough, but when it came to approaching the city of Hell, Louis had to take control. He was the only one that knew enough about the place to be able to successfully sneak in.

The three angels silently made their way towards the city walls from the north. It had taken them longer to get to the city approaching from that direction but they could hardly have walked up to the gates and asked to be let in. Louis was well aware that he was wanted in the city now, so even he had to stay hidden in the shadows.

They eventually found the entry point that Louis had told them about; a concealed tunnel with a rusting grate blocking it. It didn’t take many attempts at kicking it for the grate to be forced out of its place and the three angels crept inside.

They moved quickly and silently, always on their guard. The city was relatively quiet as it was so late but there were still some guards patrolling.

Eventually they reached the tunnels that led to the dungeons. Louis looked at the two other angels with him seriously. “Be ready. Once we go down to the dungeons we’re sure to encounter other angels.”

The journey along the corridor seemed to take a long time. A lot longer than the last time Louis had made it anyway. The last time he had practically ran along the tunnel wondering if Harry was in one of the cells at the end; this time he crept along so slowly, afraid of alerting anyone to their presence.

The further they went the more Louis wondered why no other angels had been seen, he began to dread that maybe there was no-one in the cells at all. What if his dream hadn’t really been showing him reality? That would mean he had dragged Harry and Niall into terrible danger for nothing. Or worse still, what if they were too late? What if Zayn had already been killed? He shuddered at the thought. He shook his head and refused to believe that it could be a possibility.

Soon they reached the end of the tunnel, the chamber filled with cells opened up before them and all three of the angels drew in a deep breath. They had made it this far, now they just had to find Zayn. They split up to make the search quicker, each of them running in different directions towards the cells.

It was Harry who beckoned the others over in a low but desperate voice. “Louis, I think I’ve found him.”

The other two angels rushed over and Louis drew in sharp breath. “Shit, Zayn.”

When they first looked into the cell it was hard to make anything out, but as their eyes looked harder and adjusted to the gloom they could see a crumpled form lying in the corner of the cell.

Louis disappeared from the cell door but returned quickly with the key which had been back in its place hanging on the wall. He quickly flung the door open, hardly noticing the screech of rusting metal, as he rushed into the cell. He knelt down beside the injured angel lying on the floor.

When he pulled his friend towards him he wanted to be sick. Zayn’s face was swollen and covered in cuts, his back was marred with angry bleeding welts that could only have been caused by a whip, his chest was littered with wounds, his wings were smeared with dried blood and the right one hung at a sickening angle indicating that it must have been severely damaged.

Louis hugged him close and gently stroked the hair away from his forehead.

“Zayn? Zayn, can you hear me? Please wake up.”

There was no movement from the beaten body so Louis continued to speak to him quietly, desperately pleading with his friend to wake up.

It seemed to take an eternity but Zayn eventually stirred in Louis’ arms. He groaned in pain before his eyes slowly began to flutter open. When his eyelids finally lifted he stared up at Louis with a mix of confusion yet contentment. His tongue slowly licked his dry lips before he spoke.

“I’m dying, aren’t I?” he whispered hoarsely. “The only way I could be seeing you is if I’m dying.”

Louis felt his eyes burning, but he shook his head firmly. “No Zayn. You’re not dying. I’m not going to let you. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

Zayn blinked slowly several times as he looked at his friend. His face suddenly contorted into a look of panic and he began to struggle pitifully in Louis’ arms.

“Oh no Lou, no,” he forced out in his gravelly voice. “You should have left me. They knew…they knew you would come. You have to go…leave me and go.”

Louis’ eyes were wide as he tried to calm his friend. “I’m not leaving you. I’m getting you out of here right now.”

With that he stood up and pulled his injured friend upright as gently as he could. Zayn moaned out in pain as all the injuries covering his body burnt. He clutched onto Louis’ arm that supported him as his legs nearly gave way. Harry and Niall rushed forward and Niall helped support Zayn from the other side.

As they slowly crossed the floor of the chamber, a terrible sound reached their ears. Footsteps and the movement of armour travelled down the tunnel towards them. They were about to be discovered.

The small group froze where they were. Louis looked at Harry and saw that his face was set into a determined expression; they weren’t going to give up without a fight. He looked down at his injured friend’s face. Zayn’s eyelids were fluttering rapidly and he struggled to hold himself up, he squeezed Louis’ arm as tightly as he could. “Louis…leave me. Get out of here and don’t worry about me.”

The muscles in Louis’ jaw tightened. “Never. I told you I’m getting you out of here.” He looked away from Zayn’s pleading face and looked at Niall who was on the other side of the weak body. He made his mind up then and he shifted Zayn’s position so that Niall was left completely holding him up, then he drew his sword.

“Please Niall…whatever happens, get him out. I’ll do everything I can to keep them busy.”

Niall knew what that meant; if Louis fell he wasn’t to look back, he just had to get Zayn to safety. He nodded solemnly.

There was a swish as another sword was drawn to their right; Harry stood there with the same resolute expression but also the hint of a smile playing on his lips. He wanted nothing more than to live for many hundreds of years with his soulmate by his side but if this was going to be the end of everything he would gladly give it up as long as he had Louis beside him right to the end.

Both Louis and Harry moved forward at the same moment with their swords raised and stood side by side blocking Niall and Zayn. Niall drew his own sword; even if he had to hold Zayn upright he still wanted to be able to defend himself if he needed to.

They didn’t have to wait long before shadows loomed into the chamber and then a group of angels entered. In the midst of them, the most frightful creature that Harry had ever seen was standing smirking at them; the Master was there to greet them.

A deep, mocking chuckle rumbled through the dungeon. “Louis, so nice to see you back with us. We were worried about you.”

Louis didn’t reply, he just stared at the monster hatefully, holding his sword in readiness for the moment when they would inevitably be charged at.

The Master glared at the small group. “You really are too predictable though. We knew that you would not be able to leave your dear friend in our _care._ There are always consequences. Did you really think that you would get away with betraying me?”

“If you expect me to care about betraying you you’ll be disappointed. I am the one who has been wronged by you,” Louis spat angrily. “All I want is to leave here and never return.”

“Oh, if only life were so simple,” the Master spoke in an almost carefree tone, “Unfortunately, you are the centre of a prophecy that speaks of our downfall therefore I cannot allow you to leave. I do think it is very good of you to deliver your soulmate to us so willingly though.” The Master’s demonic eyes drifted over to stare at Harry, who drew in a sharp breath but held the gaze defiantly.

“Don’t you even _look_ at him!” Louis shouted in fury. He took a step forward but Harry placed a steady hand on his arm.

“We are leaving here,” Harry said confidently. “If we have to fight our way out then we will. We know of the prophecy and this is not a fight you want to risk. We could fulfil it in this moment if you force us to fight you.”

Louis glanced at Harry in wonder; it was a clever tactic to try. They both knew that it was a long shot but surely with the odds so overwhelmingly against them it had to be worth a try.

The Master seemed to consider what Harry had said for a long time. Tense silence filled the chamber before he finally spoke again.

“Hmm, an interesting argument. I expected that you might use such a threat and I accept that you might be correct. It is fortunate that I took the necessary precautions to ensure that you would not be so willing to fight your fate.”

Louis’ brow furrowed in confusion and Harry looked at him slightly nervously.

The Master continued to speak, “I already have your best friend and your soulmate trapped here. I thought I may as well ensure your complete compliance by bringing the only other soul you ever really cared about to join our gathering too.”

There was a shuffling from behind the Master and then a large angel walked forward pushing Liam in front of him.

Louis gasped loudly and shook his head in despair.

The Master was very clever; he really did have every person that Louis had ever cared about all trapped in one place at his mercy. Sacrificing his own life was one thing, but how could Louis give up the lives of everyone else too? Even though Liam had lied to him, Louis still cared about him. After all, he had looked after Louis since he was a baby.

Liam saw the look on Louis’ face, he looked across the chamber at him and shook his head sadly. “I’m so sorry Louis.”

The Master’s eyes flashed wickedly as Liam spoke; he reached forward, grabbed hold of his hair and pulled him backwards harshly, causing Liam to cry out in pain.

“You will speak only when you are granted permission to,” the Master hissed, before he threw Liam towards the guard again.

Louis’ hand was shaking as it held his sword now. His mind was racing with ways to get out of this situation; he couldn’t come up with anything that would work. He looked at Harry sadly; he wished that they’d had more time together.

Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing as he looked into Louis’ eyes. He smiled sadly and the hand still resting on Louis’ arm squeezed gently.

“It’s alright if I’m with you,” he whispered, so quietly that only Louis could hear him. Every precious moment that he and Harry had spent together flashed through his head and Louis knew that he had been lucky to have Harry even if it had only been for such a short time.

As Louis and Harry looked back across the floor towards their enemy, everything seemed to slow down. They were about to charge towards them and meet their fate together when a blur of movement beside the Master caught their attention.

Liam had struggled out of the guard’s grip and grabbed the dagger that was sheathed in his captor’s belt. He thrust it straight into the heart of the large angel who fell to his knees grasping at his chest. The band of angels erupted into confusion as they tried to restrain the prisoner. This was the chance that Louis and Harry needed.

They seemed to move as one, charging towards their enemy with their swords held in readiness.

Amidst the confusion, Liam was still slashing wildly at the other angels trying to buy Louis and Harry some time. Both Louis and Harry joined the fray and began fighting for their lives.

Across the chamber, Niall tried to pull Zayn into a more upright position from where he had slipped down, and attempted to begin moving him towards the tunnel to escape.

There were so many bodies in such a small area and the clash of swords against armour meant that no-one really seemed to be able to focus on anything that was happening around them; they could all only concentrate on what was directly in front of them.

Despite being outnumbered Louis and Harry were actually managing to hold their own and a glimmer of hope flickered through their minds.

However, the possibility of a miraculous escape was eradicated by the menacing growl of the Master, “Enough!”

The voice was so loud that all the angels in the chamber ceased their actions to look in his direction. Louis and Harry staggered back as they looked on in horror.

The Master was standing apart from the group with his huge clawed hand tightly wrapped around Liam’s neck; his other hand held a gleaming knife pointing up at Liam’s chin.

Louis lowered his sword in defeat, “Li.”

Liam struggled uselessly against the grip that held him, his head was lifted away from the knife but his eyes were fixed on Louis.

The Master chuckled darkly, “You cannot win this fight. Drop your weapons and accept your fate.”

Harry looked towards Louis and smiled weakly. They had tried hard but what else could they do? He was willing to do whatever Louis wanted now and if that meant surrendering in an attempt to save his friends then that was what they would do.

Louis mirrored Harry’s expression. He had really thought that they might just make it. He looked back towards the Master and his eyes rested on Liam.

Before he could speak, Liam beat him to it. “I only ever wanted to look out for you Louis. I know I’ve let you down but I can do something to help you now. I hope that one day you can forgive me.”

Louis didn’t understand at first, he shook his head in confusion. Then his eyes landed on what the Master obviously couldn’t see, Liam’s hand still held the dagger that he had stolen before. He wasn’t able to twist his arm to stab the Master, instead he raised it in a steady, calculated move and plunged the blade into his own chest.

“NO!” Louis screamed as Liam’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body fell limp in the Master’s grip.

Nothing could have held him back then, he lifted his sword and raced across the chamber. The Master was still looking down at the fallen form of Liam with a furious expression, as he realised that one of the things he held over Louis was gone, when Louis reached him and swung his sword powerfully through the air.

The demon lord looked at the angel in surprise for a moment, before his eyes widened and he grabbed at his own throat. Thick, dark blood was oozing out of the slash across his neck that Louis had inflicted. The Master fell to his knees and a terrifying gurgling screech erupted from his lips. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he stared at Louis in utter disbelief.

Louis was transfixed – he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dying creature before him. It was only when he felt Harry grab hold of his arm and turn him around that he actually blinked.

“Louis! Lou, we have to get out of here now!” Harry was shouting at him, but his voice seemed drowned out somehow. Harry shook him, “Louis, now! The whole place is coming down!”

Suddenly, Louis became aware of everything at once. The Master was still screaming deafeningly and the sound was echoing around the chamber. The walls were actually shaking from the force of the vibrations and lumps of stone were falling from the ceiling. And as he spun round, there was Harry pulling on his arm desperately, urging him to run before they were trapped. He looked towards the tunnel and saw Niall already half-supporting, half-dragging Zayn through the archway.

The Master’s ‘loyal’ angels were fleeing the crumbling chamber rather than wasting time trying to help their dying leader.

Louis turned back towards where Liam’s body now lay; he was lying on his back and his eyes were closed – he almost looked peaceful. Louis wanted to go to him, to have a moment to reflect on what had happened, but there was no time. Harry was still tugging on his arm, but was refusing to abandon him.

“ _Please_ Lou! There’s nothing you can do for him now. Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain.”

The words seem to bring Louis to his senses, he looked Harry in the eye then grabbed his hand and ran towards the tunnel.

All the way along the tunnel they could hear the crashing of huge lumps of stone falling into the dungeon behind them. The Master’s howling had ceased but the booming of the falling rock echoed behind them making them run faster, fearing that the tunnel might collapse on top of them.

When they finally reached the mouth of the tunnel they saw a scene of chaos. Angels were running in all directions – it seemed news of what had happened in the dungeon was spreading quickly. Some of the angels looked scared, some looked pleased. Amongst the commotion Louis saw Niall kneeling down over Zayn’s form. Louis felt his heart constrict at the sight – he had already seen Liam die tonight, surely he wouldn’t have to lose anyone else he cared about.

He rushed forwards, dragging Harry behind him. “Niall? Is he alright?”

Niall looked up at them in relief. “I thought you two were going to be trapped! He’s alright, think it’s just taken all of his strength to get out of there. We should get him back to somewhere safe before long though.”

Louis nodded. “I don’t think anyone here will even notice if we fly out with him. They’re all kind of preoccupied.”

It was true, no-one seemed to have even noticed them standing there all leaning over a badly wounded angel.

Harry stooped down to lift Zayn and Louis took over from Niall on the other side. “Thank you for getting him out Niall,” he told him sincerely as he patted him on the back. Niall looked around quickly before nodding to signal that they were clear to get out of there.

The three of them pushed off from the ground supporting Zayn between them. As they flew back towards the city of Heaven, Louis never looked back; instead he made a decision that would change their lives forever.

***

When they returned to the city, they quickly treated the worst of Zayn’s wounds. It would take more than their skills to heal him completely, but he looked better for being cleaned up and he was actually awake and able to speak to them a little.

Louis and Harry had been talking very seriously in the corner for some time before they turned back to where Zayn was lying on Harry’s bed, with Niall trying to clean up one of the cuts on his face.

“We’re going to see the Elders,” Harry announced. “You’d better stay here Zayn, you’re not up to it, but Niall if you want to come you’re quite welcome. I think you might find it quite interesting.”

Zayn was about to protest but Louis stopped him. “Don’t argue with us Zayn. Use the time to get some rest. We won’t be long and then we’ll tell you everything. No more secrets.”

Zayn raised his eyebrow and grumbled something to himself. Louis smiled at him warmly before turning round and following Harry and Niall out of the door.

***

The Elders sat around with solemn faces looking at the two angels before them. Niall was hovering slightly nervously near the doorway.

Harry and Louis, however, showed no signs of apprehension; they looked completely at ease.

“We have come to tell you that the Master of Hell is dead. Louis killed him,” Harry told them bluntly.

The Elders looked at each other in shock and with a certain amount of smugness. They didn’t erupt into animated conversation this time. Maybe they were trying to hold up their noble façade.

“We didn’t do it because of the prophecy, or because we felt like we were supposed to do it. We went to save a friend and this was the result,” Louis added.

One of the Elders rose from his seat, “Regardless of your reasons, you have still started the prophecy in motion. We can attack the city of Hell and destroy our enemies once and for all.”

“If that’s what you want, then you can go for it,” Harry cut in. “But we will not be any part of it.”

The Elder who had spoken narrowed his eyes at Harry, “What do you mean?”

“We have decided to leave,” Louis answered. “ _You_ are no better than the Master. You sit here and give your orders but all you want is to destroy everything. You have lied to Harry his whole life and kept us apart. Now you expect us to help you. All we want is to be together and be away from the ones who try to hurt us. That means being away from here and away from _you_.”

The elderly angel laughed, “Where will you go? Back to Hell? You will not be welcome there!”

“No, not back to Hell. We don’t know where we are going yet but anywhere will be better than here,” Harry told him. “Any angel who wishes to leave with us and escape your ways is more than welcome to join us.”

The angel laughed again, although it was tinged with something else this time. “No-one will go with you. Who would leave their life here behind them to go to an unknown future with you? Life here is perfect and they all know that.”

“ _Perfect_?” Louis burst out, “This is _perfect_? Maybe for you, but what about your soldiers that go out to fight for you, what about their families? This place isn’t perfect and neither are we. We make mistakes and we learn from them. That’s why we’re leaving. It was a mistake to think that you could be trusted and we have learnt from it.”

“You will be leaving here alone!” the Elder shouted at him.

“No, we won’t,” Louis replied. “We’ll be going together.”

“I’ll be coming too!” Niall shouted excitedly from the doorway.

Both Harry and Louis let out a soft laugh at their friend, who saw the Elders’ angry glare directed towards him and slipped out the door before they told him off too.

They turned back towards the Elders once more, and saw a wispy haired figure standing in the back row. He moved slowly through the assembled angels towards them.

“I would like to come with you,” he said simply.

“Brother Thomas, this is an outrage!” another of the angels shouted at him.

“I would stand and argue my point, however I know that it would be a waste of time because you never listen,” Thomas replied and he turned and walked towards the door.

Louis and Harry smiled brightly at the Elders and followed him.

***

A little later, Louis and Harry had packed up what they thought they might need and had explained everything to Zayn, who whole-heartedly agreed with their plan.

They began to make their way down towards the courtyard to meet with Niall who had mysteriously disappeared.

As they came round the corner at the bottom of the stairs, they were met by hundreds of expectant faces. The mass of angels smiled warmly when they laid eyes on Harry and Louis.

Both of the angels stopped and their mouths flapped a few times before Niall bounded over.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I spread the word. There were a lot of unhappy angels here that needed a way to get out. You’ve given them the chance they needed.”

Louis cleared his throat, “The more the merrier I guess!”

Harry laughed a little nervously as they began to walk towards the gates of the city. The crowd behind them gathered their belongings and began to follow them.

Harry leant closer to Louis. “Where exactly are we going?” he whispered.

Louis draped his arm over Harry’s shoulders.

“I have no idea,” he whispered back, “But I don’t care as long as I’m with you.”


End file.
